According to the PBS data, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 323.97 points as compared to 326.10 points during the past week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 1.90 per cent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs17,732 saw a decrease of 1.03 per cent and went down to 316.72 points from last week’s 320.01 points.

The SPI for consumption groups of Rs17,732 to 22,888; Rs22,889-29,517; Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs44,175, declined by 0.92 per cent, 0.75 per cent, 0.70 per cent and 0.54 per cent respectively.

In the week, out of 51 items, prices of 18 (35.29%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 23 (45.10%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (31.40%), potatoes (10.36%), eggs (5.96%), pulse gram (1.64%), onions (0.87%), rice basmati broken (0.54%), rice irri-6/9 (0.40%), pulse mash (0.27%) and LPG (0.14%).

The commodities which recorded major increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included pulse moong (2.56%), cooking oil 5 litre (1.56%), sugar (1.23%), chicken (0.80%), vegetable ghee 1kg (0.61%), bread (0.57%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (0.49%), washing soap (0.43%), garlic (0.39%) and firewood (0.12%).

On-year basis, the commodities that saw decrease included onions (36.25%), wheat flour (36.17%), eggs (24.07%), chillies powder (20.00%), electricity charges for Q1 (18.11%), pulse masoor (11.18%), rice basmati broken (9.14%), pulse mash (7.00%), diesel (6.39%), bread (5.48%) and petrol (5.45%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included, ladies sandal (75.09%), potatoes (58.76%), pulse gram (42.11%), pulse moong (34.15%), powdered milk (25.76%), beef (23.75%), garlic (18.43%), gas charges for q1 (15.52%), vegetable ghee 1kg (15.48%), cooked daal (15.10%), shirting (14.36%) and firewood (12.89%).