Dharmendra Pradhan Blames International Market for Rise in Price of Petroleum Products

Patna (Bihar) [India], Apr. 20 (ANI): Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday blamed the international market for the hike in the price of petroleum products.

Talking to media, Pradhan said, "Price jump in the international market is the highest in past four years, it is due to reasons like the situation in Syria and US' threat of imposing sanctions on Iran, due to these reasons prices have shot up."

The Union Minister also said that the government has to bring petroleum products into the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"The Government is concerned about it. We will have to bring petroleum products into GST and states, as well as centre, are slowly moving towards it. But, the hike is basically due to price jump in international market," he added.

The public in parts of India has blamed and urged the central government to come up with a plan to tackle the problem of ever-rising fuel prices as petrol prices, hovered over four-year peak and diesel is at an all-time high.

They said the government must come up with a plan such as carpooling policy or decreasing the excise duty on fuel, so that they do not suffer due to hike in petrol and diesel prices in the international market.

"The government earlier as well increased the price of CNG and now these. It should either come up with a carpooling policy or keep a check on the ever increasing prices of diesel and petrol," Delhi-based Rahul Saxena told ANI on April 2.

Petrol prices in Delhi went up to Rs 74.08 per litre, the highest since 2013. In Kolkata, it is at Rs 76.78, Rs 81.93 in Mumbai and Rs 76.85 in Chennai.

In Delhi, diesel prices retailed at a record high of Rs 65.31, while it was Rs 68.01 in Kolkata, Rs 69.54 in Mumbai and RS 68.9 in Chennai. (ANI)

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