MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government has raised its predicted GDP growth for 2006 a tenth of a percentage point to 6.1%, an Economics Ministry official said Monday.
"Under the basic scenario adopted for the budget, GDP will grow 6.1% in 2006," Andrei Klepach said.
He said the government's budget planning commission had approved a scenario earlier in the day that envisions lower GDP figures in 2007-09 than expected. Under the forecast, GDP growth will be 5.7% in 2007, 5.6% in 2008, and 5.7% in 2009.
Klepach also said inflation in the country had been 0.3% in the first 20 days of May. He said monthly inflation in consumer prices would be 0.4%-0.5%, and 5.8%-5.9% in the first five months of 2006.
