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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he would address a press conference at 4 PM on fuel pricing, alleging that petrol should be available at Rs 82 per litre but is being sold at Rs 102 per litre.
In a post on X, Kejriwal accused the government of overcharging consumers for petrol and indicated that he would elaborate on the issue during the scheduled media briefing. "Today, petrol in our country should be available at 82 rupees per liter, whereas the government is charging us 102 rupees per liter. Press conference at 4 PM today," Kejriwal said. https://x.com/arvindkejriwal/status/2075125088475574343 The AAP chief's remarks come days after Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that a reduction in retail petrol and diesel prices would become a "legitimate question" if global crude oil prices remained at their current levels for the next few weeks, while stressing that it was premature to speculate on an immediate price cut. Addressing a press conference on July 3, Puri said the country's Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had previously absorbed significant financial losses to shield consumers from fluctuations in global crude oil prices. "Oil marketing companies had incurred losses and under-recoveries of Rs 74,781 crore by selling petrol, diesel, and LPG below cost," the minister said. Referring to the recent decline in international crude oil prices, Puri added, "If crude prices remain at these levels for the next few weeks, cutting petrol and diesel prices will be a legitimate question that everybody asks. But what the situation will be then, it is not right for me to speculate." During the same briefing, the minister also defended the government's ethanol blending programme, dismissing concerns over E20 fuel. He said any marginal reduction in mileage was outweighed by improvements in vehicle performance and acceleration, adding that the transition had been implemented after consultations with industry bodies, including the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). He also said insurance companies had clarified that there were no issues related to vehicles using E20 fuel. (ANI)
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