No case for roll-back of diesel price hike: Veerappa Moily

21 Jan 2013 Evaluate

Ruling out the case for any roll-back in diesel price hike, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily averred that bulk consumers like railways will have to find their own budget to buy the fuel at market price.

Back on January 18, the government raised diesel prices, after a gap of four months, by a marginal 45 paise per litre excluding taxes. This was coupled with a decision to charge bulk consumers like defence, railways and state transport undertakings market price, which is almost Rs 10 a litre more than retail selling rate. Thus, after including local sales tax or VAT, diesel prices for retail users went up by 50 paisa to Rs 47.65 a litre in Delhi. However, bulk users will have to pay Rs 56.88 a litre in Delhi.

Further, in a bold reform, the government has permitted oil companies to raise diesel prices by the same quantum from time-to-time till Rs 9.60 per litre loss on the fuel is wiped out.  This diesel hike is estimated to save approx Rs 12,907 crore in annual subsidy. Diesel accounts for 59 percent of the estimated Rs 160,000 crore fuel subsidy bill of the government in 2012-13.

Both diesel and petrol had been deregulated by the BJP-led NDA Government in 2002, but the UPA Government had continued to subsidise diesel, the nation’s most consumed fuel.

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