(T.E.T)
Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre each, the eighth such hike in nine days. With this hike, petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 101.01 and diesel Rs 92.27 a litre. Petrol had breached the Rs 100 across major cities in India, including Delhi. Mumbai is the priciest city for petrol at Rs 115.88 a litre and diesel at Rs 100.10 a litre. In Chennai, the price of petrol is Rs 106.69 (increased by 75 paise) & diesel is Rs 96.76 (increased by 76 paise). Since March 22, fuel rates have seen nearly a Rs 5.60 per litre hike.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Tuesday defended the 137-day hiatus in fuel price revision, saying the disruption in supply chains and the resultant increase in global oil prices due to the war in Ukraine was a “couple of weeks” phenomenon. Replying to a debate on appropriation and finance bills in Rajya Sabha, she defended the handling of inflation but acknowledged the ongoing war in Ukraine posed fresh challenges, including higher oil prices, and disruptions in supply chains.
