New Delhi: Free-market diesel price in 24 mths; only LPG, kerosene to get subsidy
The UPA government is going the whole hog on its plan to move towards fully market-determined pricing of diesel, which accounts for 60% of this year’s estimated fuel subsidy bill of R1.7 lakh crore. “In 24 months from now, everyone will pay market price for diesel, and we will have fuel subsidies only on LPG and kerosene,” a determined oil minister Veerappa Moily told FE. This is the first time the minister has said this categorically, setting at rest speculation after last week’s government directive to oil marketing companies (OMCs) on diesel pricing on whether it meant deregulation and abrogation of diesel subsidy.