New Delhi, May 30: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday welcomed the move by Kerala government to cut fuel prices by Re 1 across the state. The Minister said that Kerala has done a good job by reducing the price. “All states, whether governed by BJP or opposition, should try to reduce fuel prices but each state has different priorities & responsibilities”, Pradhan said.

The Minister further informed that Kerala is one of the highest tax collecting states. “When we appealed (for fuel price cut), their Finance Minister gave negative statement, but now they took responsibility, I thank them for it: Petroleum Min on Kerala cutting fuel price by Re”, Pradhan said.

On Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said petrol and diesel prices in the state would be slashed by Rs one per litre from June 1. The petrol price in Kerala today was Rs 82 per litre, while for diesel it was Rs 75. The Chief Minister said that the decision comes amid soaring fuel prices across the nation. According to a report by PTI, the reduction would cause a yearly loss of Rs 509 crore to the state exchequer on the tax front.

Vijayan claimed that even as international crude oil prices are coming down, fuel prices in the country were going up. "The Centre should reduce the rising fuel prices as it was causing severe hardship to the common man", Vijayan said. He added saying that by reducing the petrol and diesel prices in Kerala, the government has set an example for the Centre to follow.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2018 07:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).