Days after a Rs 3 per litre rise in petrol prices, it is the turn of compressed natural gas. Indraprastha Gas (IGL), monopoly marketer of CNG in and around this metropolis, is looking at raising the price by up to six or seven per cent (Rs 2 per kg) sometime next week, due to higher cost on account of a weakening rupee.
With the government preparing to restrict the number of subsidised cooking cylinders, oil marketing companies have launched a 'transparency' portal that allows customers to keep an eye on the number of cylinders sold in their account by the dealer.
Following decontrol of its price, the consumption of petrol is rising at a much slower rate than used to be the case.
The sale of branded petrol and diesel, considered to be more efficient, has dipped by 27 and 50 per cent, respectively, in 2010-11 over the previous year (see chart), despite OMCs selling the products at a thin margin of less than a rupee.
The sugar industry is gearing up to offer the entire quantity for the tenders, which will close on September 2.
Global product prices have declined on apprehension of a fall in consumption in the US after a rating downgrade recently.
An Iranian delegation is expected to visit India this weekend to discuss an arrangement under which Union Bank will make payments to Halk Bank in Turkey.
Oil marketing companies to lose 10 paise on petrol and Rs 6 per litre on diesel from next month.
Finance ministry officials said they were scrutinising many deals, but the actual tax liability would depend on many factors, including the kind of payment (royalty, interest, stake sale) and the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement with the country where the foreign company was based.
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If June 2010 diesel price is taken as the base, then the increase is a mere 2 per cent. By contrast, petrol prices have gone up by 23 per cent in the same period.
In a move that will give the better and cleaner environment agenda a boost, the reach of Euro-IV fuel (diesel and petrol) will be expanded to seven more cities in the current financial year. This less polluting fuel was launched about a year ago in 13 cities.
The decision was taken at a meeting last month chaired by additional secretary Sudhir Bhargava and attended by representatives of GAIL and the three OMCs - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
Getting compensated for at least 90 per cent of losses without government subsidy appears difficult.
The government indecisiveness on petroleum price rise, coupled with late release of cash subsidy, has sent the borrowings of three government-controlled oil marketing companies to an all-time high of around Rs 118,000 crore (Rs 1,180 billion).
The company has begun discussions with foreign players besides Petronet LNG Ltd for jointly developing the Rs 4,500-crore (Rs 45-billion) terminal.
The turnaround has been possible due to availability of domestic gas on priority.
With the finance ministry facing the risk of missing its tax collection target this year, it has turned down a proposal to reduce duties on petroleum products to reduce the impact of rising crude prices on profitability of oil companies.
Girish Chandra Chaturvedi (57), a 1977 batch Indian Administrative officer from the UP cadre, took charge as the new petroleum secretary on May 3.