Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday lauded the Central government’s move to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia, stating that the decision delivers direct and immediate relief to citizens in the face of global volatility.
Rekha Gupta called it a decisive step that ensures price stability in petrol and diesel across the country by effecting a reduction in excise duty, bringing the tax on Petrol down from Rs 13 to 3 per litre, and on diesel from Rs 10 to zero. She said the decision would ease the burden on oil companies while, at the same time, protecting consumers from the impact of rising crude prices globally even as several countries are witnessing sharp fuel price hikes.
“Under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, every decision reflects an unwavering commitment to national interest and the welfare of citizens,” Gupta wrote on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has pointed out that international crude prices have gone through the roof in the last one month from around 70 dollars/ barrel to around 122 dollars/ barrel. Consequently, the retail prices of petrol and diesel for consumers have gone up all over the world, Puri said.
According to Puri, the Modi government had two choices, either increase prices drastically for citizens of the country, or bear the brunt on their own finances so that Indian citizens are insulated from international volatility.
He further stated that PM Modi, in keeping with his government’s commitment, decided to take a hit on its own finances to safeguard the Indian citizen.