Pranab talks of fuel prices but keeps mum on hike

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora on Saturday requested Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to continue with the subsidies that the government has been giving to oil marketing companies.

Mukherjee,who was present at the inauguration of Once Through Hydrocracker Unit of Haldia Refinery,along with Deora,however,said the Group of Ministers (GOM) would soon take a call on the issue of diesel and LPG prices. “But I will not tell in which direction this decision would go unless there is a decision at the GOM,” he added.

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“Since oil prices in the international market are again on the rise,public sector oil marketing companies are currently incurring under recovery of Rs 5.41 for every litre of diesel,Rs 16.88 for a litre of kerosene and Rs 272 for every cylinder of domestic LPG,” said the minister.

But Deora said the government would give priority to common man’s interest and “only the least possible burden of high international crude prices will be passed on to the consumers.”