The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was on cut by Rs 21 per cylinder and that of jet fuel (ATF) by a steep 3 per cent on the back of falling international oil rates.
Cooking gas (LPG) dealers on Monday threatened to go on an indefinite strike from January 19 unless oil companies stop appointing new distributors.
Even as Minister of State for Petroleum Dinsha Patel has told the Rajya Sabha that new connections are easily available for genuine customers, householders all over India are facing an acute shortage of LPG cylinders.
Domestic cooking gas (LPG) price was on hiked by Rs 3.46 per cylinder after the government raised the commission paid to dealers by over 9 per cent.
Oil marketing companies IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum together blocked nearly 2.9 million LPG connections belonging to customers having more than one connection across states.
Pawar also said it is the moral responsibility of the major Opposition parties in Maharashtra to protect in the state assembly polls the interests of smaller allies, which were part of the coalition in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
This is the second straight increase in jet fuel rates in as many months.
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party demanded on Monday that people in the state should be sanctioned 12 cylinders of LPG instead of six at subsidised rate before Diwali.
Having made Aadhaar mandatory for receiving subsidised cooking gas (LPG) in 19 districts, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said the unique identification card will no longer be a must for giving subsidises unless cleared by the Supreme Court.
IOC has asked consumers to book LPG refill through IVRS or SMSes so that refills reach genuine users.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs may raise the subsidised LPG cylinder quota from 9 to 12 at the next meeting, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily said.
In the first price revision after the government capped the number of subsidised cylinders for consumers, domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has become nearly 17 per cent dearer, thanks to firm international prices.
The government on Wednesday put on hold a hike in LPG prices in states including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, where an increase in local levies had led to a rise in fuel rates.
Diesel sales in India fell 3 per cent in September as a receding monsoon continued to dampen demand and slowed industrial activity in some parts of the country, preliminary data of state-owned firms showed. While diesel sales by three state-owned fuel retailers fell year-on-year, petrol sales rose in September. Consumption of diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country -- accounting for about two-fifths of the demand, fell to 5.81 million tonnes in September from 5.99 million tonnes demand in the same period a year ago.
State-owned fuel retailers are losing close to Rs 3 per litre on selling diesel while the profit on petrol has trimmed due to recent firming up in international oil prices, industry officials said detailing reasons for continuing to hold retail prices. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), who control roughly 90 per cent of India's fuel market, 'voluntarily' have not changed petrol, diesel and cooking gas (LPG) prices for almost two years now, resulting in losses when input cost was higher and profits when raw material prices were lower.
Despite his Rs 13 crore assets, former Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has applied for a LPG cylinder subsidy.
Diesel and cooking gas (LPG) prices are unlikely to be hiked even after the end of the Monsoon Session of Parliament next week as the government is wary of taking such a decision at a time when it already has political battles on hand.
The Regional Transport Office in Madurai has received clearance from the government for allowing Maruti Omni van owners to use LPG cylinders to run their vehicles.
The increase in commission - which is normally passed on to consumers - is expected within a couple of weeks.
Jet fuel constitutes over 40 per cent of an airline's operating costs and the price increase will raise the financial burden on cash-strapped carriers.
In September 2012, the government had capped the number of LPG cylinders at six to reduce the subsidy burden.
Domestic LPG costs Rs 348.89 less than the cylinders meant for commercial use and this difference often leads them into restaurants and hotels who are supposed to use only industrial LPG, a Petroleum Ministry official said. All cylinders will be tagged with a unique number and consumers will be issued smart cards. Every time a refill is delivered, the unique number would be stored on the smart cards.
Shah Rukh Khan has endorsed the inclusion of his left-handed power-hitter Rinku Singh in the Indian team
Former Petroleum Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Naik on Wednesday flayed the Congress-led government for raising the LPG prices, saying the burden on the common man could have been avoided by cutting duties.
Only Rs 3,000 cr has been disbursed. Over 80% of these transfers were for cooking gas subsidy.
Aviation turbine fuel to now cost more.
RIL accounted for over a quarter of the country's LPG production of around 8.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) last year. Around 2.5 mtpa LPG - the only petroleum product in which India is not self-sufficient - was imported last year to meet the domestic demand of 11 mtpa. RIL is planning to cut LPG production at Jamnagar from 2.3 mtpa to around 1.6 mtpa from mid-2008 following the grant of export-oriented-unit (EoU) status to the refinery.
A subsidised 14.2-kg cylinder will now cost Rs 425.06 in Delhi as against Rs 423.09 previously, according to State-owned oil firms
India will import five additional cargoes of LPG in November to meet the shortfall in domestic cooking gas created due to the unplanned shutdown of a crucial unit of Reliance Industries Ltd's Jamnagar refinery.
There will be no change in LPG and kerosene rates, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily told reporters in New Delhi after the meeting on Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. "I am happy to inform the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to raise the cap on subsidised LPG to nine cylinders per household in a year from existing six cylinders," he said.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Saturday said the government is considering to prices of petroleum products in the next few days.
A top oil ministry official said it will be "suicidal" to even think of raising prices of diesel, LPG or kerosene just before Parliament is to meet.
Norwegian LPG cylinder maker Ragasco is planning a JV in India to tap the Indian LPG market.
Describing the order as a "matter most urgent", the director asked the oil marketing companies to make adequate stocks of LPG which can last up to two months both at bottling plants as well as godowns.
1.46 lakh such consumers have voluntarily given up the subsidy.
After the increase, cost of a subsidised 14.2-kg cylinder will be Rs 417 a cylinder from Rs 414 in Delhi.
In a step towards dual pricing of domestic cooking gas, the government has decided to allow oil-marketing companies to sell the fuel at market prices in distinct fibreglass cylinders. IOC, BPCL and HPCL will sell these cylinders in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune, which have been identified as test beds for the pilot project. The companies could revise fuel prices for transparent cylinders as LPG for them will not be subsidised. Feasibility of this project is yet to be adjudged.
The government on Wednesday ruled out any hike in the prices of LPG and kerosene in the face of war threats hovering over Iraq but said deposit money for LPG cylinders might come down in a couple of days.
