Quetta, Zhob, Sibbi and Makran from Balochistan, Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh and the federal Capital have also been included in the first phase of census. He added that census in AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and FATA would be conducted in the 2nd phase.
Bajwa said that 45,000 security personnel would help conduct the exercise. The forms prepared in 2008, when the census was due, would be used and first phase would start from March 15 and end on April 15 while the second phase will begin from April 25 and conclude on May 25.
He said that results of census would be prepared within seven days after completion of the second phase.
Talking about inflation, he said that CPI based inflation during the first half of the current fiscal year has increased by 3.88 percent even though there was a decline of 0.68 percent in the month of December 2016 as compared to the previous month. Headline inflation was recorded at 3.70 percent in the month of December 2016 as compared to the same month a year ago.
The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 2.43 percent in December 2016 as compared to the same month of the last fiscal year, followed by prices of non-perishable food items by 2.33 percent, perishable food items by 3.02 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco by 11.56 percent, clothing and footwear by 4.40 percent, housing water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 4.93 percent, furnishing & household equipment maintenance by 3.17 percent, health by 8.35 percent, transport decreased by -3.20 percent, communication increased by 0.74 percent, recreation and culture by 1.47 percent, education by 11.51 percent, restaurant and hotel by 4.87 percent and miscellaneous goods and services by 5.08 percent.
The commodities which recorded increase in their prices on month-on-month basis included eggs by 6.86 percent, tea by 3 percent, motor fuel by 2.37 percent, cigarettes by 2.21 percent, gram whole by 1.69 percent, kerosene oil by 1.38 per cent, tailoring by 1.37 per cent, fish by 1.32 percent, woolen cloth by 1.27 percent, newspaper by 1.21 per cent, firewood whole by 1.18 per cent, besan by 1.1 percent, medical equipments by 1.1 percent and vegetable ghee by 1.02 percent.
The prices of potatoes were decreased by 19.88 percent, fresh vegetables by 19.8 per, sugar by 13.44 percent, chicken by 9.94 percent, gur by 4.74 percent, pulse mash by 4.34 percent, tomatoes by 2.97 percent, onion by 2.7 percent, pulse masoor by 2.24 percent and pulse moong by 2.11 percent.
The commodities whose cost increased in the first six months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period of the last fiscal year are gram whole by 43.75 percent, pulse gram by 37.52 percent, besan by 33.08 percent, eggs by 23.73 percent, fresh vegetables by 22.04 percent, potatoes by 19.41 percent, cigarettes by 11.6 percent, sugar by 11.54 percent, education by 11.51 percent, water supply by 9.89 percent, medical equipments by 9.72 percent, fresh fruits by 9.5 percent, doctor (MBBS) clinic fee by 8.9 percent, drugs and medicines by 8.83 percent, and tailoring by 7.82 percent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017