Panaji: The hardships caused by the November 8 demonetization could last for another month-and-a-half, union home minister Rajnath Singh said Friday.

Demonetization may have attracted flak from various quarters, but it managed to raise India's pride and helped minimize corruption and income disparity, he told a rally in Cuncolim assembly constituency, around 45 km from Panaji.

"Steps were taken to stop the generation of black money. Demonetization was also criticized a lot. I accept that for some time, some people faced difficulty. It could be that the difficulties will continue for a month or a month-and-a-half," Singh said.

"The decision was not taken for political mileage by the prime minister, but to boost India's pride, to minimize corruption, to minimize income disparity," he said.

He claimed international economists had appreciated prime minister Narendra Modi's decision to demonetize high-denomination currency.