Petrol diesel price today March 20, 2026: IOCL & HPCL hike premium petrol (XP95, Speed, Power) by 2/litre and industrial diesel by 22/litre. Regular petrol in Delhi 94.77, diesel 87.67 unchanged. Full city-wise rates inside.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday opposed the fresh hike in fuel prices, saying it will put the common man in great difficulty.
Faced with opposition from within the ruling coalition, the government has put-off till at least next week a decision on raising fuel prices that have been necessitated due to crude nearing $100 a barrel globally. The petroleum ministry has planned to take to the Cabinet this week a proposal to either marginally raise petrol and diesel prices or cut duties to offset the impact of raising international oil prices but the proposal is not being pursued this week.
Against the backdrop of the Trinamool Congress' threat to pull out of United Progressive Alliance over the petrol price rise, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday backed the government on the issue.
BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty has criticised the West Bengal government over high fuel taxes and alleged security lapses, particularly concerning women's safety and border control.
When asked if it would not be good for farmers as they would be rid of an anti-farmer government, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said that the farmers would continue to die as there would be nobody to save them.
Sensex gains over 400 points while Nifty trades above 23,800 amid strong IT sector buying.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has warned that the ongoing West Asia crisis is not merely a geopolitical issue but will directly lead to higher fuel costs for common people and businesses, impacting shipping, input availability, and export orders.
State-owned refiners Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) have reported substantial losses for the first quarter of financial year 2026-27 (Q1FY27), primarily driven by a sharp increase in crude oil prices exacerbated by the ongoing West Asia crisis and suppressed marketing margins on petroleum products.
ATF in Delhi will cost Rs 56,324.79 per kilolitre, an increase of Rs 77.93 per litre or 0.13 per cent, from Rs 56,246.86 per kl, an official of the Indian Oil Corporation, the nation's largest fuel retailer said.
Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution Kantilal Bhuria told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that there was no immediate impact of the hike in petrol and diesel prices on essential commodities. Impact of some of the factors, including hike in prices of petrol and diesel could be felt only with a time-lag. While price of rice went up, prices of wheat, atta, chana dal, tur dal, sugar, mustard oil, vanaspati, milk & onion did not rise during the period under review.
Companies are already diversifying sourcing, raising prices, and reworking operating models as the disruption drags on.
In a bid to lower the impact of an unavoidable hike in petrol and diesel prices, Oil Minister Murli Deora has asked states like Delhi and Andhra Pradesh to lower sales tax (VAT) on auto fuels and shift towards specific rates.
Most of the participants in our poll believed that the hike in petroleum product prices is a positive trigger for companies.
The government has sharply reduced excise duty on petrol to 3 and diesel to zero, offering major relief to consumers. Here's how the price cut will impact fuel rates and inflation.
This is the second straight increase in ATF price this month. Rates were hiked by a record 56.5 per cent (Rs 12,126.75 per kl) on June 1. Simultaneously, petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the 10th day in a row.
The price of jet fuel (ATF) was sharply increased by 7.5 per cent on Tuesday, while the cost of LPG used in commercial establishments was reduced by Rs 58.50 per cylinder, reflecting shifts in international benchmark rates. After three rounds of price cuts, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was increased by Rs 6,271.5 per kilolitre, or 7.5 per cent, to Rs 89,344.05 per kl in the national capital - home to one of the busiest airports in the country, according to state-owned fuel retailers.
The Bhartiya Janata Party on Sunday asked the government to unveil a concrete action plan to curb inflation effectively in a month and demanded an immediate roll back in the hike of fuel prices.
The government on Monday ruled out any immediate increase in petrol and diesel prices despite a spurt in international crude oil prices.
If sources in the Congress party are to be believed, a hike in the price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas seems "inevitable".
The Congress core group, which includes UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will meet to vet the proposal before it goes to the Cabinet.
With the increase of $10 in per barrel price of crude oil from $80, which is bound to further raise oil companies losses to about Rs 70,000 crore (Rs 700 billion) by March 31, 2008, Assocham said in a statement "the time has ripened for the government to pass on the burden of crude prices on common man in phases."
The government on Tuesday ruled out any rollback of last month's increase in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG, and said a policy for pricing of major petroleum products was under review.
The nationwide strike on Tuesday called by the Left parties against the hike in petrol and diesel prices evoked a mixed response with it getting unruly in some parts of the country.
The campaign for elections to 51 urban local bodies, including four municipal corporations in Himachal Pradesh, concluded on Friday, with key issues including infrastructure, tourism, and fuel prices taking centre stage.
In the next quarter, the country will also start gearing up for various Assembly elections could put the government as well as the OMCs under pressure
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday ruled out rollback of petrol and diesel price hike saying the nation's fiscal condition did not permit him to do so.
Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The gems and jewellery industry anticipates challenging times following the government's decision to increase gold import duty to 15 per cent, a move that exporters warn could fuel the grey market and heighten smuggling risks.
Reliance Industries (RIL) delivered a better-than-expected operational performance in Q1FY27, driven by a recovery in its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business and robust gains in the telecom (Jio) segment, though its retail arm missed estimates. Analysts highlight the upcoming Jio Platforms IPO and execution in new energy and consumer businesses as key triggers for the stock's future growth.
With fuel being the main input cost for the transport sector, rise in cost of operations is a given. The sector is unsure on the extent of being able to pass this on through rentals or to absorb it with higher volumes.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Monday ruled out any rollback in the increased prices of petroleum products, saying the hike has been reasonable and minimum. "The hike is reasonable and minimum ...," Deora told reporters here.
Decrying the hike in diesel prices as "unjustified" action, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday demanded its roll back and withdrawal of powers granted to oil companies to regulate fuel prices.
PM's economic advisors have suggested a hike in petrol and diesel prices to tackle the global crude prices.
India's retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), increased to 3.48 per cent in April, up from 3.40 per cent in March, primarily due to a surge in prices of gold and silver jewellery, as well as certain kitchen staples like tomatoes and cauliflower.
India's wholesale price inflation surged to 8.30 per cent in April, up from 3.88 per cent in March, primarily driven by a significant increase in the prices of fuel, power, and crude petroleum, according to data from the commerce and industry ministry.
'Markets never fully lose hope. But an important shift could come if the Strait remains closed -- moving from high prices to no prices.'
With rupee depreciation leading to jump in oil import bill, Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday said there is an immediate need to raise fuel prices, but refused to say when the hike will actually take place.
The government's decision to raise fuel prices in June has scuttled the oil companies' plans to reduce their losses from retail fuel sales as consumers are buying less of premium fuels, which is more expensive than normal fuels.
