Jaipal Reddy looks for early panel meet to evaluate fuel price

03 Nov 2011 Evaluate

With increasing pressure on the financial health of state-owned Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the Petroleum Minister, S Jaipal Reddy, has sought a meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) to decide on increasing the prices of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene due to the growing under-recoveries from the sale of the subsidized fuels.

Reddy said, the OMCs losses on the sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene were increasing. The EGoM meeting would take place before the winter session of Parliament. The Parliament’s winter session is scheduled to start from November 22. The EGoM on fuel chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will need to review the prices of diesel, kerosene and domestic cooking gas. 

Reddy said that the financial capacity of the oil retailers should not be overestimated. By adding further he said that their revenue losses because of selling petroleum products below the market price is expected to be around Rs 1,30,000 crore for this fiscal. However, oil minister agreed that the decision on pricing of LPG and diesel may not be easy.

In June 2010, the government decontrolled petrol prices, however, government kept its control on prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG, in order to protect common man from the impact of volatility in international crude and product prices. Whereas, diesel is used as primary fuel for transportation and any changes in diesel price will have impact on the inflation.
 
On the sidelines, G.C. Chaturvedi, Petroleum Secretary said, ‘Oil companies are free to decide on petrol price.’ The OMCs are planning a possible increase in petrol prices. Oil companies are losing around Rs 1.5 a litre on petrol, to make up for this loss; oil companies are considering increasing petrol’s retail price by minimum of Rs 1.82 a litre.  Currently, OMCs are losing around Rs 9.27 per litre on diesel, Rs 26.94 a litre on kerosene and Rs 260.5 on every LPG cylinder.

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