Weekly inflation increases by 1.62 percent

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ended on January 07, for the lowest income group up to Rs 3,000, has registered increase of 1.62 percent over the previous week. The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 250.45, as against 246.46 registered in the previous week, according provisional figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).
The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2000-2001=100 covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. SPI for the combined group registered increase of 2.20 percent by going up from 233.37 in the previous week to 238.50 in the week under review.
As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 16.92 percent. As compared to last week, the SPI for the group falling in the income brackets of 3001-5000, 5001-12000 and above 12000 increased by 2.23 percent, 2.65 percent and 2.80 percent, respectively.
During the week under review average prices of six items registered decrease, while that of 26 items increase with the remaining 21 items prices unchanged. The items, which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included, tomatoes, diesel, petrol, kerosene, garlic and bananas.
The items, which registered increase in their prices included gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU), electricity charges, onions, egg hen (farm), vegetable ghee (loose), gram pulse (washed), LPG(11 kg cylinder), wheat flour (average quality), potatoes, rice irri-6, mustard oil, gur, sugar, firewood, moong pulse (washed), mash pulse (washed), rice basmati (broken), mutton, wheat (average quality), chicken (farm), bread plain (mid size), masoor pulse (washed), red chillies, shirting, beef and coarse latha.
The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included, milk (fresh), milk (powdered), curd, vegetable ghee (tin), cooking oil (tin), salt (powdered), tea (packet), tea (prepared), cooked beef, cooked dal, cigarettes, lawn, voil printed, sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, electricity bulb, match, washing soap, bath soap and telephone local call.