Parikh panel suggests Rs 4/litre immediate hike in diesel rate

29 Oct 2013 Evaluate

The Kirit Parikh panel has recommended the government for an immediate increase in diesel prices by at least Rs 4 a litre. Favoring the continuation of existing trade parity pricing mechanism for controlled petroleum products, the expert panel, which was tasked to suggest a methodology for pricing of diesel and cooking fuel, also wants the government to stop subsiding kerosene and domestic cooking gas within three years.

The panel’s report said that the diesel prices should be hiked by Rs 4 a litre immediately to offset the revenue loss incurred by public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) for selling the fuel at lower than cost price. The remaining subsidy should be recovered from consumers through a monthly price hike of Re 1 per litre. At present, the oil marketing companies have been allowed to increase diesel price by 45-50 paise a litre every month.

By adding further, Parikh panel said that existing pricing mechanism based on trade parity should continue, until diesel pricing is made market determined. The panel was also stressed that modification in existing trade parity pricing principles will not solve the problem of mounting losses on sale of price-controlled products because of high international crude prices and rupee depreciation. Meanwhile, the government is looking to alter the way diesel and cooking fuels are priced to reduce its subsidy burden, which appears to be slipping out of hand.

In India, the refinery-gate price of diesel since 2006 has been based on trade parity pricing, which include 80 percent of import parity price and 20 per cent of export parity price. Meanwhile, Indian public sector oil marketing companies have been maintaining that export parity pricing was not viable for their refineries. On the other hand, private refiners such as Reliance and Essar have been seeking market-determined pricing for all fuels and providing consumers a choice by promoting competition. 

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