Birbhum (West Bengal), Oct 6 (IANS): Wishing the people a happy 'Bijaya Dasami', union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Thursday hoped that prices of essentials would come down and the growth rate go up.

"I wish everybody a happy Bijaya Dasami. I hope that everybody stays happy and fit," Mukherjee told reporters on the occasion of Bijaya Dasami at his ancestral home in Mirati, near Kirnahar in West Bengal's Birbhum district.

Idols of mother goddess Durga and her children were immersed in Ganga river and other water bodies across the state on the day, marking an end to five days of puja festivities.

"At the national level, as the finance minister of the country, I want the price of essential commodities to come down, a high growth rate and less fiscal deficit," said Mukherjee.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has conducted as many as 12 policy rate hikes in the past 20 months to tame the near double-digit inflation. Fiscal deficit also increased substantially in this fiscal and led to creation of inflationary pressures on the economic system.

Some economists feel that the RBI's move to increase rate hikes would hamper growth of the economy.

Mukerjee dons the priest's role during the traditional Durga Puja celebrations at his ancestral home in Mirati, 200 km from Kolkata. He performs the puja rituals and reads from the religious scriptures during the five-day puja.