Oil Ministry proposes Rs 4.50/litre hike in diesel rate, Rs 100 for LPG

10 Jan 2013 Evaluate

In a move to meet the record Rs 160,000 crore revenue deficit, arising from selling auto and cooking fuels below their cost, oil ministry has moved a note to Cabinet, projecting hike of Rs 3-4.50 per litre in diesel price and Rs 100 in LPG rates along with raising the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders for households to nine a year from the current cap of six. Since the finance ministry has refused to bear additional subsidy burden arising from raising cap on supply of subsidised LPG, the oil ministry has proposed to raise price of subsidised cylinder to meet the shortfall.

Regarding LPG cylinders, it has proposed to raise LPG rates by Rs 100 per 14.2-kg cylinder in two installments to make up the loss of Rs 490.50 per bottle being incurred currently. To cover the entire losses, from April onward, oil ministry has proposed for quarterly increases of Rs 50 per cylinder and Rs 1 a litre increase on diesel for every month till such time that the current losses are wiped-off. Additionally, ministry has also proposed raising kerosene price by 35 paise a litre per month or Re 1 a litre per quarter till March 2015. Presently, state-owned oil companies are incurring loss of Rs 490.50 for one LPG cylinder, Rs 10.16 per litre for diesel and kerosene at Rs 32.17 a litre.

According to the ministry estimates, raising the cap to nine subsidised cylinders would lower savings to Rs 2,500 crore per annum from the Rs 12,000 crore estimated when six cylinders are issued at subsidised rates and the rest sold at market price. However, in September, the government limited the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to six per household in a year which was protested by the ruling alliance and opposition.

The ministry's note to Cabinet is based on recommendation of the Vijay Kelkar Committee, which was appointed by the finance ministry to suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation. The committee had recommended an immediate hike in price of diesel by Rs 4 per litre, kerosene by Rs 2 a litre and LPG by Rs 50 per cylinder.

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