Manmohan defends fuel price hike

Defending the recent government decision to hike fuel prices, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh maintained that giving extra subsidies to oil companies could cause a budgetary crisis, while underscoring that inflation was indeed a worrisome problem. Addressing a news conference, he urged the masses to 'understand' the country's economic constraints. Meanwhile, Singh reiterated that skyrocketing prices of essential commodities were a direct result of India's robust economic growth.