Petrol, diesel prices at all-time high

PTI, Jan 26, 2021, 12:50 PM IST

Petrol price on Tuesday edged past Rs 86 a litre mark in the national capital and diesel soared above Rs 76 after rates witnessed a maximum increase in the last one year.

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 35 paise per litre each on Tuesday, according to a price notification from oil marketing companies.

This took the petrol price in Delhi to Rs 86.05 per litre and Rs 92.62 in Mumbai.

Diesel rate climbed to Rs 76.23 a litre in the national capital and to Rs 83.03 per litre in Mumbai, the price data showed.

Rates had gone up by Re 1 per litre each last week before hitting a two-day pause.

Fuel prices, which vary from state to state depending on local sales tax or VAT, are now at a record high in the country, prompting cries for a cut in excise duty to ease the burden on consumers.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week blamed Saudi oil output cut for the surge in oil prices but remained non-committal on tax cuts.

Top oil explorer Saudi Arabia has pledged additional voluntary output cuts of 1 million barrels per day in February and March, which has led to price climbing to most since the pandemic broke out.

State-owned fuel retailers – Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) – had on January 6, resumed daily price revision after nearly a month-long hiatus.

Since then, rates have gone up by Rs 2.34 a litre on petrol and Rs 2.36 in case of diesel.

This comes after international oil prices firmed up in hopes of demand returning from the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in different countries, including India.

Prior to the current high crude prices triggering the price hikes this month, fuel prices had last touched record high on October 4, 2018. At that time the government had cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre in a bid to ease inflationary pressure and boost consumer confidence.

Alongside, state-owned fuel retailers cut prices by another Re 1 a litre, which they recouped later.

This time, there are no indications of a duty cut so far.

Petrol and diesel prices are revised on a daily basis in line with benchmark international price and foreign exchange rates.