The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the lowest income group, has dwindled by a weekly 0.32 percent in the week ended on May 19. Provisional figures from the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) revealed that SPI, for the week under review in the above mentioned group, registered 299.24 points as against 300.20 points in the previous week. SPI, for the combined group, also squeezed 0.28 percent as it fell from 288.46 points in the previous week to 287.65 points in the week under review.
In comparison to the corresponding week of last year, SPI for the combined group increased by 14.97 percent. Compared to last week, SPI for the income groups ranging between Rs 3001 to 5000, Rs 5001 to 12000 and above Rs 12000 decreased by 0.34 percent, 0.33 percent and 0.24 percent respectively. Average prices of 14 items declined in the week under review, while that of 18 items increased. The residual 21 items’ prices stayed unchanged.
Items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices during the week under review, included tomatoes, onions, egg hen (farm), LPG(11 kg cylinder), garlic, wheat flour (average quality), wheat (average quality), chicken (farm), mustard oil, gram pulse (washed), firewood, milk (fresh), mash pulse (washed) and moong pulse (washed). Commodities, which registered an increase in their prices, included potatoes, bananas, salt (powdered), gur, shirting, washing soap, cooked beef, voil (printed), cigarettes, lawn, masoor pulse (washed), rice (irri-6), sugar, kerosene, rice basmati (broken), curd, mutton and vegetable ghee (loose).
Items, with no change in their average prices during the week under review, included beef, bread plain (mid size), milk (powdered), vegetable ghee (tin), cooking oil (tin), red chilies, tea (packet), tea (prepared), cooked dal, coarse latha, sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, electricity bulb, match box, bath soap, gas charges (up to 3.3719MMBTU), electricity charges (1-100 unit), petrol, diesel and telephone local call.
