Petrol price hike can't wait any longer: OMCs

April 18, 2012

petrol

New Delhi, April 18: Fed up with the Centre's “indecision” on allowing an increase in fuel prices in the face of the rising international crude prices, the oil marketing companies on Tuesday virtually threatened to increase petrol prices by Rs. 8.04 a litre, asking the government to either cut excise duty on petrol and give them Rs. 49 crore a day in compensation.

In a joint representation, the oil marketing companies asked the government to bring petrol back under the regulated regime.

Petrol prices were deregulated in June 2010. With a 20 per cent value-added tax, the price of petrol, if an increase is effected, will go up by Rs. 9.60 in New Delhi.

“We have been very patient, not raising prices since December despite our cost of production spiralling. But there is a limit to which we can borrow money and produce fuel for the country,” Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Chairman R. S. Butola said here. IOC issued a formal statement, pointing to the anomalies in the subsidy mechanism and highlighting related issues.

IOC, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited are losing Rs. 49 crore a day on petrol sales alone. They are losing another Rs. 573 crore a day on the sale below cost of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene.

Mr. Butola said the oil marketing companies lost Rs. 745 crore in the first 15 days of April in revenue from petrol sale. “We have suggested that the government temporarily end deregulation and give subsidy to make up for the difference between the cost of production and the sale price. Alternatively, the government can cut the excise duty of Rs. 14.78 it collects when a consumer buys one litre of petrol.”

The States levied VAT or sales tax, ranging from 15 to 33 per cent (Rs. 10.30- Rs. 18.74 a litre), and this too could be cut to avoid a price increase. “If our suggestions are not accepted, we will have no option but to increase the price of petrol by Rs. 8.04 a litre (excluding the State levies) with immediate effect,” the IOC statement said. The last revision of petrol price was effected on December 1, 2011. Then, IOC cut the price by Rs. 0.65 a litre on top of an earlier reduction of Rs.1.85 on November 16 that year.

“The international petrol prices have since gone up progressively and stand at $132.45 a barrel in the current pricing period. This is much higher than the price of $109.03 a barrel at which IOC and other oil marketing companies are selling petrol,” the statement said. The company's inability to effect the hike between December 16, 2011 and March 31, 2012 resulted in Rs.1,036 crores of under-recoveries for IOC alone, and Rs. 2,287 crore for all companies.

The statement said IOC and other companies approached the government several times for revising petrol prices, suggesting that motor spirit be brought within the ambit of controlled products temporarily, or statutory levies on it lowered to the extent of loss being suffered by the companies owing to their inability to pass on the increase in prices to consumers.

“The current situation is not sustainable and therefore cannot continue. The continuation of such [a] pricing [formula] will only impede the ability of the company to import crude oil and may affect the supply-demand balance. The company is awaiting the government's response to its requests; should no relief come, it will have no option but to effect the aforesaid increase in motor spirit prices,” the statement said.

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News Network
June 22,2020

New Delhi, June 22: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be “mindful of the implication of his words” as a controversy raged over his “no intrusion” remark about the violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley.

“The Prime Minister must always be mindful of the implications of his words and declarations on our Nation’s security as also strategic and territorial interests,” Singh said in a statement here as Chinese media welcomed Modi’s ‘no intrusion’  remarks contending that it may lead to a de-escalation of tensions between China and India.

Congress has been maintaining that Modi’s assertions at Friday’s all-party meeting that neither was there any intrusion nor was any Indian post captured ran counter to the statements made by the Indian Army and the External Affairs Ministry.

Singh said the prime minister cannot allow his words to be used by China as a vindication of its position and all organs of the government should work together to tackle this crisis and prevent it from escalating further.

“We remind the Government that disinformation is no substitute for diplomacy or decisive leadership. The truth cannot be suppressed by having pliant allies spout comforting but false statements,” the former prime minister said.

Singh said the prime minister and the government should rise to the occasion to ensure justice for Colonel B Santosh and the army jawans who made the supreme sacrifice and resolutely defended the nation’s territorial integrity.

“To do any less would be a historic betrayal of the people’s faith,” the former prime minister said.

“At this moment, we stand at historic crossroads. Our Government’s decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how the future generations perceive us,” Singh said.

Singh said China was brazenly and illegally seeking to claim parts of Indian territory such as the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso Lake by committing multiple incursions between April 2020 till date.  

“We cannot and will not be cowed down by threats and intimidation nor permit a compromise with our territorial integrity,” said Singh. 

The former prime minister said this was a moment where “we must stand together as a nation and be united in our response to this brazen threat.”

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News Network
March 19,2020

New Delhi, Mar 19: The total number of reported novel coronavirus cases in India has climbed to 169, with 30 fresh cases reported from various parts of the country on Wednesday.

The total cases in India include 25 foreign nationals and the three persons who died in Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in India, over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with positive cases, continue to be under rigorous surveillance, the government has said.

Maharashtra has 43 cases, including 3 foreigners, while Kerala has recorded 27 cases which include two foreign nationals. A 28-year-old woman from Pune with a travel history to France and the Netherlands tested positive for Covid-19, a senior official said on Wednesday.

A 68-year-old woman has tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai. She was in close contact with a Covid-19 patient, who was diagnosed yesterday.

In Rajasthan, three more have tested positive for Covid-19. The new cases have come from Jhunjhunu district. Their samples have been sent to SMS Medical college.

In Maharashtra, a 21-year-old man in Pimpri Chinchwad with travel history to the Philippines, Singapore and Colombo has tested positive for coronavirus. One more person in Ratnagiri has tested positive for Covid-19.

Telangana has reported seven more confirmed coronavirus cases. All the seven are Indonesian national.

Delhi has so far reported 10 positive cases which include one foreigner while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 16 cases, including one foreigner. A man from Noida tested positive on Wednesday, taking the total number to four in Noida.

Karnataka reported two fresh cases on Wednesday, taking the number of infections to 13. The number of cases in Ladakh rose to eight and Jammu and Kashmir three. Telangana has reported six cases which include two foreigners.

One more person has tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir. The person, with foreign travel history, has been put under isolation. He had arrived in J&K on March 16.

There will be restrictions on public transport, assembly of people and some other measures, in #Srinagar from tomorrow.

Rajasthan has also reported four cases including that of two foreigners. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Punjab have reported one case each.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar has confined the state's second positive case of coronavirus in the state.

The health minister has stated that the condition of the patient is stable and is in observation.

In Haryana, there are 16 cases, which include fourteen foreigners.

According to the Union ministry's data, 14 people have been discharged so far, including the three patients from Kerala.

Three persons infected with the virus have died so far, the latest casualty being a 64-year-old man from Mumbai with a travel history to Dubai who succumbed on Tuesday.

While a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who returned from Saudi Arabia died last Tuesday, a 68-year-old woman in Delhi who had tested positive for coronavirus passed away on Friday night.

The government on Tuesday banned the entry of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India with immediate effect, according to an additional travel advisory.

With coronavirus cases swelling in the country, the government has also banned the entry of passengers from the European Union countries, Turkey and the UK from March 18 till March 31.

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Agencies
January 6,2020

Lucknow, Jan 6: Undeterred by the large scale protests that claimed as many as 20 lives in the state, Uttar Pradesh government has started the process of implementing the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

According to sources in the government, the district magistrates have been directed to identify the migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who have been living in their districts.

Sources said that the state home department has given oral instructions to the district magistrates. ''No written orders have been issued,'' said a senior official here preferring anonymity.

The official said that the district magistrates would be preparing a list containing names of those minorities, who had migrated from these countries following their persecution and had been living without obtaining the citizenship of India.

According to sources, the government expected that the migrants, who could be eligible for the Indian citizenship in accordance with the CAA, could be more in number in the districts, including Rampur, Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur, Lucknow and some others.

''The list will be sent to the union home ministry,'' the official added.

Sources said that the state government will also inform the centre about the ''illegal Muslim migrants'' for their ultimate deportation to their countries of origin.

Different parts of UP had witnessed large scale violence last month during the protests against the CAA. At least 20 people, mostly youngsters, were killed allegedly in police firing and many others were injured. The state government had denied the charge. 

Alleged police excesses during and after the protests triggered a nationwide outrage with several rights organisations and activists slamming the BJP government and demanding a high-level probe into the allegations.

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