Petrol and diesel have risen to all-time high across the country after fuel rates rose by Rs 5.72 per litre to Rs 6.25 per litre in less than 6 weeks.
Amid uproar over the rise in fuel prices which has crossed Rs 100-mark in some states, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday admitted that the current fuel prices are "problematic" for people but asserted that the government is saving money for welfare schemes.
Petrol and diesel have risen to all-time high across the country after fuel rates rose by Rs 5.72 per litre to Rs 6.25 per litre in less than six weeks. This is due to a combination of rising international oil prices and record high central and state taxes.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Pradhan said central and state governments need additional money from the taxes on petrol and diesel to meet expenses for fighting pandemic as well as on development work.
"I accept that current fuel prices are problematic for people, but be it central or state government, over Rs 35,000 crores is being spent on COVID-19 vaccines in a year. In such dire times, we are saving money to spend on welfare schemes," he said.
Asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's repeated attacks on the Modi government for skyrocketing fuel prices, Pradhan said, "Why is fuel expensive in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab (which are ruled by the party)?"
"If Rahul Gandhi is concerned about the poor being hit by fuel prices, he should ask chief ministers of Congress-ruled states to cut taxes. He should ask (Maharashtra Chief Minister) Uddhav Thackeray to reduce taxes," he said.
Congress leaders and workers had held nationwide protests on Friday against the rising prices of fuel in the country.
Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. And because of this, petrol retails at over Rs 100 per litre mark in seven states and union territories -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Ladakh.
Mumbai on May 29 became the first metro in the country where petrol was being sold at over Rs 100 a litre. Petrol now costs Rs 102.30 a litre in the city.
Diesel price stood at Rs 86.22 per litre in Delhi while in Mumbai it is Rs 93.58 per litre. Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border was the first place in the country to see petrol hitting Rs 100 a litre mark in mid-February and on Saturday it also earned the distinction of diesel crossing that psychological mark.
(With agency inputs)
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