Under-recovery on sensitive petroleum products to fall 20% in FY15: Petroleum Ministry

According to Petroleum Ministry, under-recoveries on sensitive petroleum products are likely to fall 20 percent from Rs 1,39,869 crore during FY14 to Rs 1,11,000 crore in FY15. The oil ministry highlighted that in the financial year 2015, the oil subsidy burden for new government will be the lowest since 2011-12. The loss on diesel, kerosene and cooking gas (LPG) is expected to be Rs 35,000 crore, Rs 29,000 crore and Rs 47,000 crore in FY15 mainly due to decline in the diesel subsidy and increase in prices owing to the diesel decontrol measures (Rs 9.06 a litre) since January 2013.  

The Petroleum Ministry further highlighted that the appreciation in rupee’s value has also helped bring the figure down. The Ministry’s calculations are based on the crude oil prices at $105-108 a barrel and the rupee at about 58/dollar. Presently, public sector companies Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation are incurring a daily loss of Rs 318 crore on the sale of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.

An appreciation in rupee value against the dollar cut Rs 10,000 crore on the under-recovery front. Over the past couple of months, Indian rupee has appreciated and if the current trend continues coupled with new government's move to keep increasing the diesel prices monthly by 50 paise a litre, the under-recovery on high-speed diesel will be wiped out in six months. Overall under-recoveries will further decline if the new government implements the suggestions of the Kirit Parikh committee, which recommended a Rs 5/litre increase in diesel prices, Rs 250-a-cylinder rise in LPG prices and a Rs 4/litre rise in kerosene prices.