Asserting that the Indian economy is growing at a "healthy rate", Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on Monday said the 10.4 per cent growth achieved by the National Democratic Alliance government in the fourth quarter is the "highest quantitative rate" ever by an Indian government.

"The growth rate has grown considerably and it is as per the parameters that the (finance) ministry had set for the year," Singh told reporters in Ahmedabad during the election tour of Gujarat.

"We are now awaiting the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy. But regarding the appreciation of the rupee, I can say that it should not be compared with the dollar as the United States currency has declined much in the past months. Appreciation is there and it is evident in the exports," Singh said.