Finance Ministry grants additional Rs 15,000 crore as fuel subsidy

19 Nov 2011 Evaluate

The ministry of finance has sanctioned an additional Rs 15, 000 crore to partially compensate state-owned Oil Marketing Companies’ losses (OMCs) for selling fuel below market price.

According to a senior oil ministry official, the finance minister has sanctioned an additional compensation of Rs 15,000 crore on November 11 which is over and above Rs 15,000 crore granted for meeting the revenue loss incurred during the first quarter of current fiscal.

The finance ministry has issued the sanction letter and the actual cash would be given to the oil firms once the Parliament approves supplementary demand for grants during the winter session starting from November 22.

During the April-June 2011, the OMCS reported revenue loss of around Rs 43,526 crore on selling diesel, domestic cooking gas and kerosene at the government controlled rates, which are below market price. The oil ministry has soughed for Rs 29,000 crore cash subsidy for April-June 2011 however it had got only Rs 15,000 crore.

Presently, oil marketing firms are losing Rs 11.44 per liter on diesel, Rs 26.94 per liter on kerosene sold via the public distribution system (PDS) and Rs 260.5 per 14.2-kg LPG cylinder supplied to domestic households for cooking purposes. As a result, presently the Oil firms are incurring a daily revenue loss of about Rs 360 crore on sale of three fuels. With this speed, by the end of 2011-12, OMCs are expected to make revenue loss of Rs 130,000 crore.

In the second quarter of 2011-12, the OMCs have registered revenue loss of Rs 21,374 crore, of this one-third or around Rs 7,124 crore would be made by leading firms such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL). The ministry of finance was asked to make good the rest Rs 14,250 crore. 

Financial condition of oil companies is very fragile, we have been pleading for higher government compensation to the oil marketing companies,' oil ministry official said. During April-September 2011, OMCs have incurred revenue loss of Rs 64,900 crore, however, government has agreed to give only Rs 30,000 crore.

Oil Ministry official said that the Oil Ministry wanted the upstream share be limited to historic one-third or 33.33% of the total under-recovery or revenue loss. The Finance Ministry, however, wants the contribution by ONGC, OIL and GAIL India to increase to atleast 50%. 'If we can confine the burden (of upstream firms) to 33.33%, we will be lucky,' he added.

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×