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Petrol, diesel price hiked 80 paise a litre; LPG up ₹50; Opposition protests in Parliament   

Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre while domestic cooking gas prices were increased by ₹50 per cylinder, ending an over four-and-half month election-related hiatus in rate revision, sources said.

Petrol in Delhi will now cost ₹96.21 per litre as against ₹95.41 previously while diesel rates have gone up from ₹ 86.67 per litre to ₹87.47. Simultaneously, the price of a non-subsidised LPG cylinder has been increased to ₹949.50 for each 14.2-kg bottle in the national capital.

While LPG rates were last revised on October 6, 2021, petrol and diesel prices had been on a freeze since November 4 as five States including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab went to polls. LPG prices had gone up by close to ₹100 per cylinder between July and October 6, 2021, before criticism halted the revision in rates.

Both LPG and auto fuel prices had been on a freeze since then despite the cost of raw material spiralling, first because of demand returning, with economies globally rebounding from the pandemic induced slowdown, and then due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Non-subsidised cooking gas is the one that consumers buy after exhausting their quota of 12 cylinders at subsidised or below-market rates. However, the government pays no subsidy on LPG in most cities and the price of the refill that consumers, including the poor women who got free connection under the much-talked Ujjwala scheme, is the same as non-subsidised or market price LPG.

Sources said a 5-kg LPG cylinder will now cost ₹349 while the 10 kg composite bottle will come for ₹669. The 19-kg commercial cylinder now costs ₹2003.50. Since June 2017, petrol and prices are to be adjusted daily in line with the benchmark international rate in the preceding 15 days.

But rates have been on the freeze since November 4, 2021, just after the Narendra Modi government cut excise duty on petrol by ₹5 per litre and that on diesel by ₹10 a litre to bring down rates from record-high levels. Most state governments too lowered local sales tax or VAT.

Before these tax reductions, petrol price had touched an all-time high of ₹110.04 a litre and diesel came for ₹98.42. These rates corresponded to Brent soaring to a peak of $86.40 per barrel on October 26, 2021. Brent was at $ 82.74 on November 5, 2021, before it started to fall and touched $ 68.87 a barrel in December.

Meanwhile,  the Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice in the morning session on March 22 as Opposition parties, including the Congress and TMC, voiced their protest against the increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas LPG.

With slogan shouting Opposition MPs trooping into the well of the House, proceedings were first adjourned till 12 noon and then till post-lunch. While Congress and TMC MPs carrying placards trooped into the well, other Opposition MPs, including from the Left parties, stood in the aisles.

When the House met after the first adjournment, Deputy Chairman Harivansh called for the listed Question Hour to be taken and asked opposition parties to not disrupt the proceedings. Unrelenting, the Opposition members shouted slogans, drowning out Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertiliser Bhagwanth Khuba who was replying to the first listed question.

Harivansh asked TMC leader Derek O’Brien to call his party MPs back to their seats and allow Question Hour to proceed, saying precious national resources have been spent.

With Opposition members continuing their vociferous protests, he adjourned the proceedings till 2 p.m.

Earlier in the morning when the House met for Zero Hour proceedings, the Upper House was adjourned for a little less than an hour. While TMC members stormed into the well of the House carrying placards, Congress, Left, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena MPs were up on their feet, some raising slogans.

This happened after Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said he has not accepted notices given by Shaktisinh Gohil (Congress), Dola Sen (TMC), V Sivadasan, Elamaram Kareem and John Brittas (CPM) under rule 267, requiring setting aside of the listed agenda to take up a discussion.