Commercial LPG consumption accounts for less than 10 percent of total LPG usage in the country.
India Holds LPG at Rs 913, Petrol-Diesel Prices Steady Despite Global Fuel Surge
New Delhi, April 1: Domestic LPG consumers and users of regular petrol and diesel continue to be protected from rising global fuel prices, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Wednesday, even as commercial LPG cylinders and select fuel categories have seen increases.
The ministry said prices of regular petrol and diesel remain unchanged at Rs 94.77 per litre and Rs 87.67 per litre, respectively, in Delhi. It added that domestic LPG cylinders of 14.2 kg continue to be available at Rs 913, while beneficiaries of the PM Ujjwala Yojana receive them at Rs 613.
Explaining recent changes, the ministry said commercial LPG cylinder prices, which are deregulated and revised monthly, have increased due to a surge in international benchmarks. It cited a 44 percent rise in the Saudi Contract Price from USD 542 per metric tonne in March to USD 780 per metric tonne in April, linked to supply disruptions following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Commercial LPG consumption accounts for less than 10 percent of total LPG usage in the country.
According to the revised rates, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder in Delhi now costs Rs 2,078.50, while prices in Kolkata have risen by Rs 218. Smaller 5 kg cylinders have also recorded increases.
The ministry said public sector oil marketing companies are incurring under-recoveries of Rs 380 per domestic LPG cylinder at current prices, with cumulative losses projected to reach about Rs 40,484 crore by the end of May. It added that similar losses were shared between oil companies and the government in the previous year.
On petrol and diesel, the ministry said global prices have risen sharply in the past month, resulting in under-recoveries of Rs 24.40 per litre on petrol and Rs 104.99 per litre on diesel at the retail level as of April 1.
It clarified that the recent Rs 2 per litre increase applies only to premium petrol variants such as XP95, Power95 and Speed, which are priced separately and account for a small share of total fuel sales.
The ministry also said Aviation Turbine Fuel prices for domestic airlines have been partially increased by about Rs 15 per litre, or 25 percent, despite a sharper rise in global benchmarks, while international operations continue to bear full costs in line with global rates.
