ISLAMABAD, June 12: Inflation (Consumer Price Index) rose by 3.21 per cent during the period July-May 2002-03, as compared to the same period of previous year, says monthly review of prices released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics here on Thursday.
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), with 2000-01 as the base year, went up by 3.62pc during the first 11 months of the current financial year.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) maintained its fast-pace increase and the period under review (July-May, 2002-03) saw an increase of 6.06pc.
In May 2003, according to FBS data, CPI went up by 2.62pc, SPI 3.35pc and WPI 5.85pc as compared to the corresponding period of previous year.
But when compared with April 2003, the month of May was marked by negative growth of all the three price indices: CPI by 0.29pc, SPI by 0.61pc and WPI by 1.09pc.
Among the ten major groups constituting the basket of CPI, the cost of education recorded the second highest increase in price index in May 2003, over the past one year. When compared with April 2003, the cost of education underwent an increase of 0.96pc in May.
The weightage assigned to education in the FBS calculation of price indices is 3.45pc.
On top was the group “fuel & lighting”, with 7.29pc weight. It spiralled by 5.73pc and 1.35pc as compared to May 2002, and April 2003, respectively.
The price index of other groups increased in May 2003, as compared to May 2002 and April 2003, respectively as follows:
Apparel, textile & footwear during May, 2003, increased by 4.26pc and 0.53pc; house rent by 0.90pc and 0.29pc; household, furniture & equipment, etc., by 3.21pc and 0.11pc, and cleaning, laundry & personal appearance by 4.89pc and 0.32pc, respectively.
CPI for food & beverages, recreation & entertainment and transport & communication went up by 2.63pc, 0.52pc by 0.98pc over the same period of previous year, but declined by 1.19pc, 0.14pc and 1pc, respectively, as compared to previous month.
The cost of medicare surged by 0.40pc over the corresponding month of previous year, but remained unchanged when compared with previous month, according to FBS.
Following main commodities showed an increase in their prices during May 2003 over April 2003 as under:
FUEL & LIGHTING: Electricity charges (2.54pc) and firewood (1.48pc). The main commodities in respect of which decrease in prices was reported during May 2003, as compared to previous month, included:
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATION: Transport fare charges (2.88pc) and diesel (1.54pc).
WPI: According to FBS, acceleration of WPI was due mainly to increase in prices of raw materials over the past one year. Thus the WPI for food shot up by 4.38pc, raw materials by 18.01pc, fuel, lighting & lubricants by 4.91pc, manufactures by 5.33pc and building materials by 3.74pc.
