ISLAMABAD: Inflation for the combined income group fell 1.47 per cent for the week ended on May 25 as compared to the previous week, mainly due to a decline in the prices of perishable products.

Sensitive Price Index (SPI) monitors prices of 53 items based on a survey of 17 cities and 53 markets.

The National Price Committee has also directed the provincial governments to be more vigilant in controlling prices while encouraging committees to play a pro-active role in checking the prices and see undue profiteering is not taking place.

The committee also asked the Competition Commission of Pakistan to be watchful of any cartelisation occurring.

The provincial governments and other stakeholders should be alert to avoid any supply shortage. The meeting was informed that Punjab government has placed an excellent model for checking and controlling the prices particularly through video links in different districts while other provinces are also making efforts in the same direction and were encouraged to follow the same model.

Prices of eight items rose while those of 13 goods dropped during the period under review. Rates of 32 items remained unchanged.

The impact of prices on various income groups also witnessed variations during the period under consideration.

For the lowest income group (earning up to Rs8,000 a month), SPI dipped 2.05pc over the previous week, while inflation for the top earners (Rs35, 000 and above) increased by 1.16pc.

On a yearly basis, SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed a slight decline of 1.03pc.

In the non-food items whose prices rose include LPG cylinder 11 kg 3.38pc, and long cloth 1.85pc.

The items whose prices fell included tomatoes 15.4pc, chicken farm 13.53pc, wheat flour 9.3pc, garlic 6.8pc, onions 3.08pc, potatoes 2.16pc, pulse moong 1.69pc, pulse masoor 1.41pc, pulse gram 1.23pc, pulse mash 0.96pc, sugar 0.45pc, gur 0.38pc and egg 0.30pc.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2018