The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on November 10, for the lowest income group up to Rs.8,000, has registered increase of 0.90 per cent over the previous week.
The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 173.36 points as against 171.82 points registered in the previous week, according to Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).
The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-2008=100 covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.
The SPI for the combined group registered increase of 0.85 per cent by rising from 177.68 in the previous week to 179.19 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 5.80 percent.
As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups ranging from Rs.8001-12000, Rs.12001-18000, Rs.18001-35000 and above Rs.35,000 witnessed increase of 0.90, 0.91, 0.87, percent and 0.77 percent respectively.
During the week under review average prices of only 09 items registered decrease, while that of 22 items increased with the remaining 22 items’ prices unchanged.
The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included, gur, cooked dal plate, georgette, beef, moong pulse washed, mash pulse washed, gram pulse washed, mustard oil and lawn.
The items which registered increase in their prices included, tomatoes, banana, onions, chicken live, egg hen farm, potatoes, rice basmati broken, red chilies powder loose, garlic, rice irri-6, firewood, wheat, milk fresh, sugar, cooked beef plate, curd, long cloth, vegetable ghee loose, LPG (11 KG cylinder), kerosene, wheat flour bag, masoor pulse washed.
The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included, bread plain (mid size), mutton, milk powdered nido, cooking oil, vegetable gee, salt powered, tea packet, tea prepared, cigarettes K-2, shirting, sandal gents bata, chappal spng bata, sandal ladies bata, electric charges, gas charges upto 100M, energy savor 14 watts, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, tele local call and bath soap lifebouy.
Poverty survey under BISP completed: The nationwide poverty survey under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), has been completed across the country except FATA.
The survey exercise in seven Agencies of FATA is in progress and is likely to be completed by end of this month, an official at BISP said here Friday.
The official said basically the survey was started from Balochistan on priority basis and it was completed in major parts of the province in three months time. He said the number of beneficiaries declared eligible so far after data entry and analysis by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), was 3.16 million while data entry and analysis of other surveyed families is in progress.
The eligible beneficiaries, pending due to non-availability of Computerised National Identity Card (CNICs), are 2.56 million, he said and added total amount disbursed to above mentioned beneficiaries (the persons selected for the said survey) so far is Rs. 20.386 billion.
Replying to a question, the official said an amount of Rs. 50 billion was allocated to BISP in current budget 2011-2012.The budget is allocated on lumpsum basis and BISP makes the distribution according to the number of beneficiaries in each province.
The details of number of families being provided funds under the programme, identified through the ongoing scorecard survey basis are presently as under: Azad Kashmir 56269,
Balochistan 139075, Fata 1466, Gilgit-Baltistan 13605, Islamabad 4751, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 608787, Northern Areas 9336, Punjab 819111 and Sindh 1066881.
