By IANS
New Delhi : Blaming global factors for the rising inflation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said it would take a “couple of weeks” to contain prices.
“We are all concerned about inflation. Our government is doing everything possible to contain it. It will take a couple of weeks for positive results (of the steps taken) to emerge,” Manmohan Singh told reporters after seven new ministers took oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
“The current bout of inflation in the country was imported,” he said.
The prices of petroleum and steel have been increasing in the international market for the past four years and this has led to the jump in prices in India, he added.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has been in the dock for rising inflation with some of its alliance partners and the Left parties criticising it. The opposition parties have been criticising the UPA government on the issue.
Inflation, at 7 percent for the week ending March 22, has reached its highest level in the last three years.