EGoM likely to meet soon on revising diesel, LPG rates

25 May 2012 Evaluate

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) are likely to meet soon to decide the increase in prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG. The meeting, if held, will come soon after the recent hike in prices of petrol. The Petroleum Minister, S Jaipal Reddy is also said to have cut short his trip to Turkmenistan to return on May 24 evening to be available for the meeting.

The government is currently subsidizing the use of all three fuels. However with the recent increase in the global prices of crude oil, the subsidy bill has been on the rise. The government has set a target of containing subsidies to 2% of GDP in this fiscal. The fiscal deficit is also expected to be curbed to 5.1% of the GDP as against the 5.9% in 2011-12.

To achieve any of these targeted numbers, the government will have to curb its subsidy outflow. The hike in petrol prices will only serve the purpose of bringing in a positive sentiment, given the fact that petrol is already a deregulated commodity. Fuel subsidies contributed around 0.8% of the GDP in FY12.

State-owned oil companies currently lose Rs 512 crore per day from the sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene. Diesel is currently sold at a loss of Rs 15.35 a litre, kerosene at Rs 32.98 per litre loss and oil firms lose Rs 479 on sale of every 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder. The three firms had together lost Rs 138,541 crore in revenue in 2011-12. This year they are projected to lose a record Rs 193,880 crore.

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