New Delhi, Feb 17 : Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has hailed the interim budget for 2009-10, presented in Parliament today.

Complimenting acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for his budget speech and the Interim Budget for 2009-10, Chidambaram said: "He had before him an unenviable task - having to present an Interim Budget at the end of a difficult year caused by a global financial crisis. It is, however, a matter of satisfaction that the Indian economy has weathered the global crisis reasonably well and is expected to post a growth rate of 7.1 per cent in 2008-09."

He said Mukherjee''s budget speech captures the exciting story of growth over the first four years of the UPA Government; the determination and resilience with which the Government has navigated the current difficult year; and, above all, the confidence and the ''can do'' spirit with which we can look forward to the future.

"The numbers in the Interim Budget will necessarily undergo change when the regular budget is presented. What is noteworthy is that the UPA Government continues to repose faith in its policy of "faster and more inclusive growth", a policy that has brought unprecedented development and a marked rise in welfare to all sections of the society since 2004-05", Chidambaram added. (ANI)