September 09, 2006	Saturday	Sha'aban 15, 1427

ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) showed a meagre fall of 0.01 per cent for the lowest income group of Rs3,000 for the week ended September 7 over the previous week.

The SPI was recorded at 148.71 as against 148.72 in the previous week for the income bracket, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) here on Friday.

The weekly SPI has been computed with revised base 2000-2001=100 covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

During the week under review average prices of 12 items decreased, 17 items increased and 24 items remained unchanged.

The following items recorded decrease in their average prices: tomatoes, chicken farm, banana, moong pulse washed, sugar, egg (farm), lawn, voil printed, LPG (11-kg cylinder), mustard oil, masoor pulse washed and mash pulse washed.

While match box, red chillies, onion, garlic, potatoes, firewood, cooking oil (tin), vegetable ghee (tin), gur, cooked beefed (plate), electric bulb, gram pulse washed, wheat flour, rice basmati broken, milk fresh, vegetable ghee (loose) and curd recorded increase in their prices.

And the following items wheat, rice Irri-6, beef, mutton, bread plain, milk power (Nido), salt (powder), tea (packet), tea (prepared), cooked dal (plate), cigarettes k-2, coarse latha, shirting, sandal gents bata, sandal ladies (Bata), chappal (Bata), kerosene, firewood, washing soap, bath soap, electricity charges, petrol, diesel, telephone charges did not show any change in their prices during the week. —APP