ISLAMABAD: The annual inflation of the country increased to 3.94 percent in March as compared to same month of the year 2015.
On month-on-month basis, the inflation measured through Consumer Price Index (CPI) also increased by 0.15 percent in March over February 2016, Chief Statistician, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Asif Bajwa told the newsmen here on Friday.
Similarly the average inflation rate July-March (2015-16) over same period of last year witnessed an increase of 2.64 percent.
He said the food items whose price decreased during the month as compared to March 2015 included tomatoes (49.6%), potatoes (18.29%), cooking oil (12.83%), rice (12.8%), eggs (10.49%), and vegetable ghee (8.71%).
Likewise the food items, price of which increased during the month included pulse mash (53.99%), pulse gram (52.32%), gram flour (47.78%), onion (43.44%), cigarettes (27.22%), gram whole (24.11%), tea (19.18%), sugar (14.91%) and betal leaves and nuts (13.76%).
The prices of the non-food items including sewing needle, gas, tailoring, education, readymade garments, household servants, construction wage rates, water supply and Doctor fee increased while that of motor fuel, kerosene oil, motor vehicle accessories and transport services decreased during the month.
Mr Bajwa said that the trimmed core inflation during month of March, 2016 over same period of previous year had been observed as 3.8 percent while it was 3.8 percent during March, 2015 over March, 2014.
During the month of March, 2016 over same period of last year, the non-food and non energy core inflation has been observed as 4.7 percent while it was 5.9 percent during March, 2015 over same month of the year 2014.
Replying to a question regarding population census, Asif Bajwa said that the PBS was ready to conduct census and when the government would give green signals it would start the process.
He said that there would be not much financial loss due to the delay of conducting the process.
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