From Our Correspondents Price Management or Information Management

"The Secretary for Economic Affairs, Shri R N Malhotra, claimed here today that the Union Budget would help stabilise prices. He, however, refused to quantify the actual impact, in terms of percentages, the budget would have on the price line ... The secretaries explained that the present inflationary situation had arisen mainly due to supply constraints created by infastructural difficulties and speculative tendencies developing in certain sectors of the economy. The government had already taken measures to improve the infra-structural huddles and the budget would counter the growing speculative trends. Much would, however, depend on the monsoons which were expected to be normal this year."