ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: The weekly inflation measured through the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) increased by 11.96 per cent during the week ending on February 15 over the corresponding week last year, according to the weekly price data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).
A 0.2 per cent increase recorded during the week under review in comparison to the previous week. However, the SPI was on decline in February after reaching the highest ever 14 per cent in January owing to steady increase in prices of wheat, vegetables, edible oil, gas etc.
The increase in prices came very hard on the low-income class. The prices rose by 13.80 per cent for households with Rs3,001-5,000 income and to 14.06 per cent for those at the bottom-incomes up to Rs3,000.
The households with monthly incomes between Rs5,001 to Rs12,000 witnessed an increase of 12.82pc in prices while those in the highest income bracket i.e. above Rs12,000, the increase was much lower to 10.21 per cent.
Prices of 26 items recorded increase under the week under review over the previous week.
Price of soap jumped by 5.84 per cent to Rs18.12 per cake and chicken became costlier by 4.51 per cent to Rs74.42 per kg despite the fear of bird flu during the week.
Masoor pulse (washed) showed 3.88 per cent increase to Rs74.16 per kg, tea packet up by 3.80 per cent to Rs67.47 per 250-gram, tomatoes by 3.08 per cent to Rs39.86 per kg, potatoes by 2.59 per cent to Rs11.49 per kg, banana by 1.80 per cent to Rs32.74 per dozen, rice basmati broken by 1.51 per cent to Rs36.42 per kg, firewood by 1.07 per cent to Rs232.43 per 40 kg.
The vegetable ghee (loose) increased by 0.77 per cent to Rs115.37 per kg, rice irri-6 by 0.76 per cent to Rs26.44 per kg, moong pulse (washed) 0.65 per cent to Rs51.22 per kg, bread plain by 0.62 per cent to Rs19.38 each, coarse latha by 0.59 per cent to Rs29.23 per metre, cooked beef plate up by 0.54 per cent to Rs33.56 each, mash pulse (washed) by 0.45 per cent to Rs70.78 per kg, tea (prepared) by 0.43 per cent to Rs7.03 per cup, voil printed by 0.36 per cent to Rs39.06 per metre.
The price of milk powdered Nido increased 0.30 per cent to Rs145.44 per 400-gram pouch, mutton by 0.22 per cent to Rs234.73 per kg, cooking oil by 0.20 per cent to Rs319.12 per 2.5-liter tin, curd up by 0.17 per cent to Rs34.86 per kg, sugar rose by 0.16 per cent to Rs25.77 per kg, shirting 0.13 per cent to Rs71.74 per metre, gram pulse (washed) 0.12 per cent to Rs41.99 per kg and vegetable ghee up by 0.11 per cent to Rs315 per kg 2.5-kg tin.