Fuel prices hiked for 15th consecutive day; Mumbai, Delhi prices at record levels

Agencies
May 28, 2018

New Delhi, May 28: Petrol and diesel prices continue to soar and touched another peak on Monday. Petrol was hiked by 43 paise to Rs 86.08 per litre in Mumbai.

This is the 15th straight hike in a row. Diesel prices on the other hand, were hiked by 44 paise to Rs 73.64 per litre in Mumbai. Petrol prices in Delhi were increased by 44 paise to Rs 78.27 per litre and diesel by 42 paise to Rs 69.17 per litre.

Since the dynamic pricing system resumed on May 14, petrol and diesel prices have risen by Rs 3.64 and Rs 3.24 respectively in the last 15 days in Delhi.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier said that the government will intervene to reduce prices.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, traded at $74.76 a barrel on the ICE.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that subsidising petrol and diesel to bring down their retail prices will take money away from government’s social welfare schemes.

A possible drop in Venezuela's crude output after a disputed presidential election, potential US sanctions on the country as well as US' tough stance on Iran are the key price drivers.

OPEC may decide to raise oil output as soon as June due to worries over Iranian and Venezuelan supply and after Washington raised concerns the oil rally was going too far, OPEC and oil industry

Indian Oil (IOC), the country's top refiner, will turn to its traditional oil suppliers, mostly in the Middle East, if U.S. sanctions against Iran result in supply disruptions, its head of finance said.

IOC is Iran's biggest Indian oil client. The company meets about 70 percent of its oil needs through annual contracts deals, mainly with Middle Eastern producers.

IOC chairman Sanjiv Singh said the government had so far not directed refiners to cut imports from Iran.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 8: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities and higher education institutions across the nation to set up helpline to combat mental health issues among students during the Covid-19 crisis and nation-wide lockdown period.

In an official circular, the UGC stated that, "It is important to address psychological concerns of students and to address mental health and for the well-being of students, universities/colleges and higher education institutions should setup mental health helplines."

These helplines need to be monitored by counselors and other identified faculty members. "It is important for students to stay calm and stress-free. This can be achieved through telephones, e-mails, digital and social media platforms," says UGC.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: India's gold demand in 2020 is expected to fall to the lowest level in 26 years with domestic bullion prices hitting a record high and as falling disposable incomes could curtail retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Lower demand by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a record high earlier this month, although it could also reduce India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

"Fast rising gold prices could act as headwinds," said Somasundaram PR, the managing director of WGC's Indian operations.

Local gold futures have jumped 35% so far this year after rising a quarter in 2019.

India's gold consumption in the first half of 2020 plunged 56% on-year to 165.6 tonnes. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-triggered lockdown also slashed demand by 70% in the June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, the lowest in more than a decade, the WGC said in a report published on Thursday.

Millions of Indians have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut after the country imposed a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1.5 million Indians.

Consumption is generally high during the June quarter due to weddings and key festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya, but lockdown restrictions kept shoppers indoors this year.

The weak demand in the first half could drag down India's gold consumption in 2020 to the lowest since 1994, when demand stood at 415 tonnes, Somasundaram said, adding that it is still difficult to provide an estimate for full-year demand as the coronavirus crisis is still unfolding.

"Indian demand has previously jumped as much as 300 tonnes in a quarter. Latent demand could come out in the second half," Somasundaram said.

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News Network
July 2,2020

Lucknow, Jul 2: After a video showing health workers allegedly tossing bodies of coronavirus victims in a large pit in Karnataka, BSP President Mayawati on Wednesday stated that the incident is the "height of cruelty and insult to humanity".
The former UP Chief Minister demanded that the guilty must be punished.

"The tragedy that the bodies of COVID-19 victims being thrown into trenches in Ballari, Karnataka is the height of cruelty and an insult to humanity. Though incidents related to inhuman cruelty with corona patients are rampant but guilty of Ballari must be punished by the state government," Mayawati said in a tweet.

Also, in another tweet, she asked the Central government to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In order to check ignominy of starvation on account of long unprecedented hardship & unemployment due to coronavirus and the subsequent nationwide lockdown, the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna must continue not till November but till the end of the pandemic, this is the demand of BSP," she tweeted. 

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