The Finance Ministry has sought to paint a robust picture of the economy, which, it says, will register a growth of "close to 5.5 per cent" this year, notwithstanding the widespread monsoon failure and uncertainties arising from tensions in West Asia and a generally sluggish global trade environment. "Prospects for the current year appear brighter than the initial, rather subdued, estimates that followed in the aftermath of a seriously deficient monsoon," the Mid-Year Review, tabled by the Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, in Parliament today, has stated.