Diesel price rise may be imminent

April 25, 2012
Diesel

New Delhi, April 25: The price of diesel may go up as the government has agreed to make the prices “market determined.”

The announcement came on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha in the form of a written reply by Minister of State Namo Narain Meena. The minister, however, said the government did not propose to deregulate prices of cooking gas.

“(The) government has, in principle, agreed to make prices of diesel market-determined. There is no proposal at present to fully de-regulate cooking gas prices,” Meena stated, sparking protests from BJP members. The members of the main Opposition party said the move would have a cascading effect on overall prices of commodities since diesel “is the basic transport fuel”. “The government wants to help the oil mafia by taking the in-principle decision on diesel price deregulation,” BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that thein-principle decision to deregulate diesel prices was taken as early as last June.

Mukherjee, while presenting the 2012-13 budget on March 16, vowed to reduce subsidies to less than 2 per cent in the current financial year (2012-13). High oil prices have swelled India’s subsidy burden to roughly 2.5 per cent of GDP.

While petrol prices have been linked to the market, the government’s control on pricing of diesel, LPG and kerosene has resulted in large public expenditure on subsidies.

The government control of diesel prices has been criticised by many in the past with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) being the most vociferous. The prices should be decontrolled fully to contain the trade deficit, which was expected to widen to $185 billion during the current fiscal, RBI has said.

A couple of days ago, the government’s chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu suggested partial decontrol of diesel in order to mirror the rise and fall of the global oil prices.

“A phased deregulation of diesel prices is required in order to rein in runaway fiscal deficit, reduce growing under-recoveries of oil marketing companies and save the common man from a rather bigger pressure of inflation, which is only being momentarily suppressed due to the government’s current policies,” Crisil chief economist Deepak Joshi told Deccan Herald.

Tough pill

* Cooking gas exempt from proposal

* Decision to deregulate diesel prices was taken as early as last June, says finance minister

* Government control of diesel prices has been criticised by many in the past with the RBI being the most vociferous

* High oil prices have caused subsidy burden to swell up to 2.5 per cent of GDP

*Diesel basic transport fuel; move will have cascading effect on overall prices of commodities, cries Opposition BJP

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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October 21,2024

khalistan.jpg

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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