The growth rate of petrol consumption is set to fall below 5% in the current fiscal, the first time in five years. Meanwhile, the consumption of diesel continues to grow at 7%, adding to the losses of the oil marketing companies on account of subsidies. In India, diesel is subsidized while petrol is not, and the price difference has led to more buyers opting for vehicles driven by the cheaper fuel. According...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Steep petrol price hike in the offing?
-The Times of India With elections in five states out of the way, the government-run fuel retailers on Monday ratcheted up their demand for an increase in Petrol Prices by as much as Rs 5 a litre. The demand could leave the government with a political cleft stick, coming on the day Congress received a severe drubbing in the assembly polls. Piling losses of state-run firms appear to leave little choice for...
More »Government subsidy burden at 10-year high
-IANS The Indian government's subsidy burden is expected to reach 2.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal ending March 31, the highest in 10 years, due to higher price of crude oil and other commodities, a report showed Tuesday. The total subsidy is expected to increase to Rs.2,23,000 crore in the current financial year, which is 2.5 percent of GDP at the current market price which is...
More »UPA’s elbow room to push crucial reforms may shrink
-The Indian Express The Samajwadi Party’s sweep in India’s biggest state, Uttar Pradesh, and Congress’s defeat in Punjab and Goa will further shrink the elbow room the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre has to push through key initiatives such as foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, pension reforms and legislation such as the goods and service tax (GST) that require support from states. The Centre had postponed some of these...
More »Get out of the kitchen
-The Business Standard Govt should not explore unworkable solutions The petroleum ministry’s “single kitchen” concept for new consumers of liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, is a classic case of using a flawed solution to compensate for policy distortions in the pricing of petroleum products. The norm of allowing one LPG connection per household with one kitchen may look good on paper but it is hardly a foolproof mechanism to curb the misuse...
More »