India meets 80 percent of its oil needs through imports. Retail rates are adjusted according to the global movement in crude prices (Representative Image)
Fuel prices remain unchanged ever since the government on May 21 announced an excise duty cut on petrol by a record Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre.
The cut translated into a reduction of Rs 9.5 a litre for petrol in Delhi and Rs 7 a litre for diesel. Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 96.72 a litre as against Rs 105.41 a litre before, while diesel costs Rs 89.62 a litre as opposed to Rs 96.67 earlier.
In Mumbai, one litre of petrol costs Rs 111.35 and diesel Rs 97.28. In Chennai, petrol and diesel prices are Rs 102.63 and Rs 94.24 per litre, respectively. In Kolkata, petrol is Rs 106.03, and diesel is Rs 92.76 per litre.
Oil marketing companies are passing on the excise duty cut to consumers despite losing Rs 13.08 a litre on petrol and Rs 24.09 per litre on diesel. India meets 80 percent of its oil needs through imports.
Due to low fuel prices for almost two months despite rising costs, oil companies are now detailing under-recoveries, which can reach Rs 17.1 per litre on petrol and Rs 20.4 on diesel. Oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on June 2 that fuel retailers have knocked on the government's doors asking for 'relief' but hastened to add that it is up to them to set prices.
UAE, one of the world's largest oil producers, has raised domestic fuel prices for the month of June amid a global surge in crude. A rate card issued by the Emirati government shows that the price of petrol has soared by more than 13 percent. One of the most widely used categories of fuel, Super 98 petrol, will now be sold at Dh4.15 per litre, 13.4 percent higher than last month's price. Prices for Special 95 petrol have been raised from Dh3.55 to Dh4.03 a litre, a 13.5 percent increase. Similarly, E Plus 91, another highly used category of gasoline on the country's domestic market, will now cost Dh3.96 a litre, up 13.8 percent compared to Dh3.48 in May. Diesel price is up 1.5 percent. A litre of the fuel will cost Dh4.14 against Dh4.08 in May, Reuters reported.