Inflation has tripled in the first quarter of 2005-6 and could rise further in the near future, Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai told journalists this week. The rate now stands at 7.8 percent up from 2.5 percent during the same period last year. The officials urged the government to pay special attention to maintaining fiscal balance by narrowing the mismatch between available resources and expenditures. NRB Senior Economic Adviser Keshab Acharya said inflation has risen due to the hike in petroleum prices and the increase of the VAT to 13 percent from 10 percent.