New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday expressed hope that inflation, which is close to the double digit mark, will come down in the coming months."Let us hope, it (inflation) will come down in the coming months. I am not an astrologer," he told reporters here.
The overall inflation stood at 9.97 percent in July and the figure for the month of August is expected next week. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation has been over 10 percent for five straight months till June.
For the week ended August 21, food inflation stood at 10.86 percent.
When asked about ONGC disinvestment, the Prime Minister said, "it is an ongoing process. I don't know which company will be divested. We have an able Finance Minister who is dealing with the subject."
The government is aiming to mobilise Rs 40,000 crore from disinvestment during the current fiscal.
On inflation, the Prime Minister had last month said that the government is making every possible effort to control "high inflation" and insulate poor from its adverse impact.
While addressing the National Development Council meeting in July, Singh had said that inflation would come down to around 6 percent by December this year.
"I know that in the last few months high inflation has caused you difficulties. It is the poor who are the worst affected by rising prices, especially when the prices of commodities of every day use like foodgrains, pulses, vegetables increase."
"It is for this reason that we have endeavoured to minimise the burden of increased prices on the poor," Singh said while speaking on the 64th Independence Day.
The opposition BJP and the Left parties have attacked the government over surging food prices. The Parliament was disrupted for a week during the monsoon session on the issue.
After which an understanding was reached between the two sides and a resolution was adopted in the two Houses asking the government to take further steps to control price rise.
