Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation remained at 3.80 percent in October 2017 as opposed to the same month a year before due to increase in the prices of perishable food items, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The PBS Wednesday released monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October 2017 during a media briefing and noted an increase of 0.75 percent in inflation in October over previous month of September and 3.50 percent during the first four months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of the last year.
Food & non-alcoholic beverages'' cost increased by 3.24 percent in October 2017 over the same month a year before, prices of non-perishable food items went up by 0.78 percent, perishable food items, 16.39 percent, clothing & footwear, 3.79 percent, housing water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 4.88 percent, furnishing and household equipment maintenance, 3.06 percent, health, 10.57 percent, transport, 3.90 percent, communication, 1.40 percent, recreation and culture, 0.32 percent, education, 11.46 percent, restaurant and hotel, 6.57 percent, and cost of miscellaneous goods and services increased by 5.23 percent.
On month-on-month basis, the prices of following items increased in October against previous month September; tomatoes, 31.42 percent, kerosene oil, 3.96 percent, gas cylinder, 3.89 percent, gram whole, 2.26 percent, eggs, 2.03 percent, onion, 1.90 percent, rent, 1.85 percent, tuition fee, 5.70 percent, petrol, 2.98 percent, and diesel became dearer by 2.60 percent.
On year-on-year basis, the prices of following items increased in October 2017 against the same month of last fiscal year; onion, 178.60 percent, tomatoes, 70.98 percent, iron bar, 20.47 percent, tea Lipton, 16.45 percent, petrol, 13.89 percent, gas cylinder, 13.73 percent, potatoes, 12.16 percent, private school fee, 10.73 percent, unskilled labor wage rate, 9.63 percent, IT tuition fee, 9.09 percent, and diesel price increased by 8.87 percent.
However, price of garlic decreased by 39.01 percent, pulse Maash by 26.82 percent, cigarette Capstan by 26.52 percent, cigarette Morven Gold by 22.57 percent, pulse gram by 21.58 percent, sugar by 21.17 percent, pulse Masoor by 18.59 percent, pulse Moong by 18.02 percent, cucumber by 17.60 percent, chicken by 16.68 percent, gram whole by 15.21 percent, besan by 14.28 percent and bananas by 4.57 percent in October 2017 over the same month of the last fiscal year.
Chief Statistician Asif Bajwa said that an agreement was reached among the political parties to have next general elections in the country on the basis of provisional results of the census.
He said that legislation to this effect is most probably will push through the National Assembly sitting today (Thursday). He said a team from Balochistan will be reaching Thursday to have a briefing on census and "we are ready to give briefing to all the political parties."