Prices of food items are either rising or stabilising at higher levels, but they are not decreasing. If it was sugar that was becoming costlier yesterday, now it is the turn of milk – Mother Dairy has increased the price of milk, just as prophesied by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar a couple of months ago.

Don't be surprised if some party spokespersons says milk is not good for your health, just as somebody told us about sugar earlier this year.

While Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee warns of a double-digit inflation, the government on the whole keeps promising us that prices will eventually come down. Tell that to fixed-income, salaried, lower-middle-class people who are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Their monthly budget has been under such stress over the past few months that many of them will have to cut down their purchases of food items.

Do you believe the prices will come down – next month or next year?