It reiterated that pilgrims require a Haj visa and it can be obtained through recognised official channels
After a meeting that was delayed by about six hours, a government panel raised the price of diesel by 3 rupees per litre to around 41 rupees per litre. It also raised kerosene by 2 rupees per litre and LPG prices by 50 rupees per cylinder. With the announcement of the fuel-price hike, following are the new prices for diesel, kerosene and LPG, which come into effect Friday midnight: Current price of Diesel - Rs.37.75 per litre Current Price of Kerosene - Rs.12.32 per litre Current Price of LPG - Rs.345.35 per cylinder “This is the only window they have for any cutting of subsidies. By the end of the year they will be in (state) election mode,” political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan said. Since it was first elected in 2004, the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has more often than not refrained from pushing through tough reforms in favour of pleasing its predominantly rural voter base. Persistently high inflation as well as its handling of a spate of corruption scandals has led to what many critics say is a state of policy paralysis in New Delhi. With galloping spending and slowing growth, New Delhi faces the task of reassuring investors fretting over political and bureaucratic delays for major projects that it can run the economy and keep voter support. Diesel is the most widely-used transport fuel in India and powers tractors and irrigation pumps for farmers in one of the world’s biggest producers and consumers of grains and sugar. “The inflationary implications of the diesel price hike are unavoidable. Broadly, with inflation currently at around 9 percent, the hike in prices should take the WPI (wholesale price index) into double digits again and keep it there for a while,” said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. Since the government agreed in principle to lift fuel costs a year ago, international crude prices have soared 39 percent, swelling the money spent on subsidising fuel prices to a country with 500 million people living in poverty. Petrol prices, which largely affect more affluent Indians, have gone up about 23 percent since they were freed a year ago. Reddy, an advocate of price rises, told Reuters earlier on Friday the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) planned release of strategic stockpiles would give only temporary respite. “We don’t know whether this (softening in global prices) is a stable trend,” he added. J.P. Morgan has already cut its forecast for benchmark Brent oil for the third quarter to $100 a barrel from $130 but on Friday global crude prices paused from losses. With inflation above 9 percent and domestic fuel costs up nearly 13 percent on the year, raising prices would immediately hit the fractious coalition’s core voters among India’s poor, who live on less than the cost of 2 litres of diesel a day. The longer-term benefit to the country’s finances would come from reducing massive spending on subsidies and cutting the $101 million a day in losses for state-run fuel retailers Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp on sales of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas at state-set cheaper prices. A three-rupee increase in the price of diesel would add 40-45 basis points to wholesale price inflation, according to Yes Bank. Shares in Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum rose 2.8 percent and 6.1 percent respectively in a market that ended 2.9 percent higher.
The increases, announced by Oil Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, were roughly in line with expectations.
New price - Rs.40.75 per litre
New price - Rs.14.32 per litre
New price - Rs.395.35 per cylinderAdding to inflationary pressures
It reiterated that pilgrims require a Haj visa and it can be obtained through recognised official channels
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