Pointing the approach to reconsider the price hike effected recently to the softening of global crude oil prices, officials in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said the recent rupee depreciation and crude oil prices would be taken up for discussion on November 14 to look at the options of reducing petrol prices.
Global oil prices declined sharply on November 11 and if rates sustain and the rupee does not depreciate any further, a reduction of Rs 0.80 per litre in petrol prices (excluding taxes) is possible, the Indian Oil Corporation official said. Government-owned oil firms last week hiked the petrol price by Rs 1.80 per litre, the fourth increase this year, as the rupee fell from Rs 46.29 a dollar to Rs 49.40 a dollar. If the cut is effected, it would be the first reduction in petrol prices since January 2009.
Earlier this week, IOC Chairman R S Butola had said, 'Gasoline (petrol) prices have come down from $125 per barrel to $115 per barrel. But this has to sustain together with rupee stabilizing against the US dollar.' Moreover, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, also declined 23 cents to $97.55 per barrel. Brent North Sea crude for December delivery fell by 61 cents to $113.10.
In the further development, the finance ministry is also likely to grant another Rs 15,000 crore as compensation to loss-making OMCs for selling fuel below market rates. State-run OMCs have reported combined losses of over Rs 23,000 crore in the first half of the current fiscal and have said that they will not have money to import enough crude oil after December. The oil ministry has already sought a meeting of the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on fuel prices.
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