Diesel price rise may be imminent

April 25, 2012
Diesel

New Delhi, April 25: The price of diesel may go up as the government has agreed to make the prices “market determined.”

The announcement came on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha in the form of a written reply by Minister of State Namo Narain Meena. The minister, however, said the government did not propose to deregulate prices of cooking gas.

“(The) government has, in principle, agreed to make prices of diesel market-determined. There is no proposal at present to fully de-regulate cooking gas prices,” Meena stated, sparking protests from BJP members. The members of the main Opposition party said the move would have a cascading effect on overall prices of commodities since diesel “is the basic transport fuel”. “The government wants to help the oil mafia by taking the in-principle decision on diesel price deregulation,” BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that thein-principle decision to deregulate diesel prices was taken as early as last June.

Mukherjee, while presenting the 2012-13 budget on March 16, vowed to reduce subsidies to less than 2 per cent in the current financial year (2012-13). High oil prices have swelled India’s subsidy burden to roughly 2.5 per cent of GDP.

While petrol prices have been linked to the market, the government’s control on pricing of diesel, LPG and kerosene has resulted in large public expenditure on subsidies.

The government control of diesel prices has been criticised by many in the past with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) being the most vociferous. The prices should be decontrolled fully to contain the trade deficit, which was expected to widen to $185 billion during the current fiscal, RBI has said.

A couple of days ago, the government’s chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu suggested partial decontrol of diesel in order to mirror the rise and fall of the global oil prices.

“A phased deregulation of diesel prices is required in order to rein in runaway fiscal deficit, reduce growing under-recoveries of oil marketing companies and save the common man from a rather bigger pressure of inflation, which is only being momentarily suppressed due to the government’s current policies,” Crisil chief economist Deepak Joshi told Deccan Herald.

Tough pill

* Cooking gas exempt from proposal

* Decision to deregulate diesel prices was taken as early as last June, says finance minister

* Government control of diesel prices has been criticised by many in the past with the RBI being the most vociferous

* High oil prices have caused subsidy burden to swell up to 2.5 per cent of GDP

*Diesel basic transport fuel; move will have cascading effect on overall prices of commodities, cries Opposition BJP

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News Network
June 6,2020

New Delhi, Jun 6: Military commanders of India and China are scheduled to meet today at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), to discuss the ongoing dispute along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

The Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army Commander Lieutenant Gen Harinder Singh will meet his Chinese equivalent Maj Gen Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to address the ongoing tussle in Eastern Ladakh between the two countries over the heavy military build-up by the People's Liberation Army along the LAC there.

The two sides have held close to a dozen rounds of talks since the first week of May when the Chinese sent over 5,000 troops to the LAC.

On Friday, officials of India and China interacted through video-conferencing with the two sides agreeing that they should handle "their differences through peaceful discussion" while respecting each other's sensitivities and concerns and not allowing them to become disputes in accordance with the guidance provided by the leadership.

In the last few days, there has not been any major movement of the People's Liberation Army troops at the multiple sites where it has stationed itself along the LAC opposite Indian forces.

India and China have been locked in a dispute over the heavy military build-up by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) where they have brought in more than 5,000 troops along with the Eastern Ladakh sector.

The Chinese Army's intent to carry out deeper incursions was checked by the Indian security forces by quick deployment. The Chinese have also brought in heavy vehicles with artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles in their rear positions close to the Indian territory.

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Thirteen firefighters were among the 14 people injured when a battery factory collapsed in northwest Delhi's Peera Garhi following an explosion due to a fire that broke out early on Thursday morning, officials said.

A fire brigade personnel still remained trapped under the debris of the building in Udyog Nagar area, an official said.

A large portion of the two-storey building collapsed following an explosion when firefighters were dousing the blaze, the official said, adding that fire department had received a call at 4.23am.

Plumes of smoke billowed out from the building as the fire brigade personnel battled to contain the blaze. An eyewitness said several explosions were heard as the blaze gutted down the building.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and civil authorities rushed to the spot to control the situation, an official said, adding that 35 fire tenders were at the spot.

The injured, including a security guard of the factory, were rushed to nearby hospitals, a police officer said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was monitoring the situation.

"V sad to hear this. Am closely monitoring the situation. Fire personnel trying their best. Praying for the safety of those trapped," Kejriwal tweeted.

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News Network
April 4,2020

New Delhi, April 4: With 355 new cases reported in the last 12 hours, India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.

The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with 423 cases. Tamil Nadu is the next most affected state with 411 cases.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi also rose to 386.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

An FIR was earlier registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, in the national capital.

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