ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ended on Aug 21, for the lowest income group (up to Rs3,000), registered an increase of 0.54 per cent over the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 217.13 as against 215.96 registered in the previous week, according to data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) here.

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

The SPI for the combined group registered an increase of 0.45 per cent by rising from 208.73 in the previous week to 209.67 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 an increase of 31.69 per cent.

The SPI for the groups falling in the income brackets of 3001-5000, 5001-12,000 and above 12,000 witnessed an increase of 0.51, 0.49 and 0.39 per cent, respectively over the previous week.

During the week under review, average prices of eight items registered decrease, while that of 26 items increased with the remaining 19 items’ prices unchanged.

The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included chicken (farm), tomatoes, red chillies, vegetable ghee (loose), mustard oil, rice Irri-6, wheat flour (average quality) and kerosene.

The items which registered increase in their prices included, onions, garlic, LPG ( 11 kg cylender), tea (packet), potatoes, gram pulse (washed), bananas, washing soap (nylon), mash pulse (washed), gur, electricity bulb (60 watts), cooked beef, sugar, beef, bread plain (mid-size), moong pulse (washed), milk powdered (Nido), curd, tea (prepared), milk (fresh), rice basmati (broken), wheat (average quality), firewood, mutton, masoor pulse (washed) and egg hen (farm).—APP