The government said on Wednesday that it was considering public sector oil companies' request for hiking security deposit on LPG cylinders from Rs 650 to Rs 1000 but clarified that there was no freeze on issuance of new connections.
For the second time in as many months, the Government on Wednesday night cut petrol price by Rs 5 a litre and diesel by Rs 2 per litre, while the domestic LPG rate was also slashed by as much as Rs 25 per cylinder.
However, unlike cellular services where consumers have the option to switch between different mobile companies, LPG consumers would have the limited option of changing only their dealers, not the oil company.
Kerosene and domestic LPG prices in India are the lowest in South Asia, while the rates for petrol and diesel are comparable with its neighbours, petroleum minister Murli Deora said on Thursday. Kerosene in Pakistan costs Rs 34.89 a litre, Rs 30.53 in Bangladesh, Rs 21.26 in Sri Lanka and Rs 34.35 per litre in Nepal.
The government on Friday said it would not increase the cooking gas and kerosene prices despite escalation in the prices globally.
The government on Wednesday rolled back its decision to hike LPG price by Rs 5 every month.
No immediate comment was available from airlines on the impact of the price hike on passenger fares.
Domestic cooking gas consumers in Delhi and Mumbai will from Wednesday get cash subsidy for buying cooking gas refils as the Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Scheme will be extended to 105 more districts.
Indian Oil Corporation, the country's largest oil firm, has sought an increase in price of domestic cooking gas LPG by over Rs 103 per cylinder and PDS kerosene by Rs 7.5 a litre, in view of rise in cost of raw material.
A Parliamentary Panel has "deplored" the government for capping the supply of subsidized LPG to 6 cylinders per households, saying that such restrictions should not be placed on people having income below a threshold.
The government will phase out subsidies on LPG and kerosene by March 2007, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Sumitra Mahajan said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.\n\n\n\n
Modi had last month launched the 'Give-it-Up' campaign.
Experts say having an open fire in the kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.
Describing DBT for LPG as a 'tremendous success,' Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said the programme, when implemented throughout the country, would help save Rs 8,000-9,000 crore (Rs 80-90 billion) of subsidy from going to unintended beneficiaries.
With an eye on bigger imports, the oil marketing firm may get its French partner Total to set it up.
Reliance Industries, the country's largest LPG producer, will be spared from footing the Rs 7,200 crore (Rs 72 billion) bill for the one year freeze in LPG and kerosene prices, despite rising cost.
As the state police declined the provincial administration's directive to allow police stations to be used as distribution points for the supply of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders to the consumers, the crisis has only deepened.
The government has extended the supply of subsidised cooking gas to educational and social welfare institutions.\n\n\n\n
A decision has been taken to gradually initiate Aadhaar and non-Aadhaar based LPG subsidy transfer through the OMCs.
Police said around 15 people were rescued and shifted to Acharya Bhikshu hospital. Of them, seven died and four people, who were critical, have been shifted to Safdarjung hospital. A few more persons are feared trapped under the debris, they said.
To contain misuse of LPG cylinders in markets, Indian Oil Corporation will soon bring out a system by which cylinder refills for domestic use will be coloured differently from those for commercial use. \n
The government is looking into demands for raising the cap on supply of subsidised cooking gas (LPG) cylinders per households, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said.
Currently, oil companies sell kerosene at a loss of about Rs 18 per litre.
LPG demand this fiscal is expected to be around 11 million tonne, against around 10.2 million tonne last year. It is the subsidised price of LPG, which is available at around Rs 21 per kg for domestic use. LPG for industries, which is outside price control, is sold at around Rs 58 per kg, up from around Rs 36 per kg last year.
The fall in global oil prices has trimmed the losses of state-owned oil companies, but it may not be enough to prevent a Rs 4 per litre increase in diesel prices and a Rs 20-25 per cylinder hike in LPG rates later this month.
Bowing to party pressure, the government on Thursday raised the quota of subsidised LPG to 12 cylinders per household in a year from nine at present and also put on hold paying users the subsidy into bank accounts using Aadhaar platform.
Delhiites will have to shell out more from their pockets for virtually everything from cooking gas to diesel with Delhi government on Monday withdrawing subsidy on LPG and increasing VAT on many items to "generate" additional revenue.
Ujjwala Yojana was launched on May 1, 2016 at Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh and has so far covered 47.3 million consumers in 715 districts
Price of diesel, LPG and kerosene will have to go up.
If the quota is raised to 12, about 97 per cent of the LPG consumers would be covered by subsidised LPG.
While LPG price was raised by Rs 18, kerosene saw a hike of Rs 3 per litre
Reliance Industries on Friday dubbed as a "canard" allegations that the near-doubling of natural gas prices will lead to a similar hike in domestic cooking gas (LPG) and inflation in food item rates.
IOC and other oil firms have been paying LPG consumers in 54 districts up to Rs 500 to help them buy a 14.2-kg cooking gas refill at market price, which is more than double of Rs 410 per bottle rate in Delhi.
"(The) government has conveyed approval to public sector oil marketing companies to formulate a scheme for surrendering (of the) LPG connection by a customer who is being supplied piped natural gas," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said. Alternately, the customer can also choose to keep the connection in safe custody. Thus, if he changes residence to an area not covered by PNG, he can avail a new LPG connection at the surrendered security deposit rate on a priority basis.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had last week stated that there were demands from 'several chief ministers' for raising the quota of subsidised cylinders and the government 'will look into' them.
The government on Wednesday hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG by Rs 5, Rs 3 and Rs 50 respectively.
The government on Monday said it would overcome the problem of LPG shortage in the country by Diwali.
The government will provide private companies subsidy equivalent to that given to state retailing firms on LPG, petroleum secretary B K Chaturvedi said.
