Govt ‘sensitive’ in direction of petroleum costs: Hardeep Singh Puri

The authorities is “sensitive” in direction of the costs of the petroleum merchandise and is taking all attainable steps to deal with the difficulty, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri mentioned on Wednesday, and blamed the Congress for the present pattern of hike in petrol and diesel costs.
If state governments need, they will decrease the costs of petrol and diesel, as a state did so just lately, he mentioned in a press convention on the Delhi BJP workplace.
“We are sensitive towards it and are taking possible steps like doing blending of 10 per cent which we are going to raise to 20 per cent,” Puri mentioned.
The Congress authorities in 2010 deregulated costs of petrol and diesel, that means there could be an area influence of worldwide charges, he mentioned. “The Centre imposes excise tax on petrol and diesel, while states impose VAT on it. We use this excise money to fund schemes … ,” he mentioned.
Puri mentioned the Congress authorities, earlier than 2014, issued oil bonds of Rs 1.34 lakh crore to regulate costs of petrol and “passed on their problem to us.” He hit out on the Congress, saying the figures on oil bonds introduced by it had been “flawed” and challenged the celebration to ask states dominated by it to cut back the VAT on petrol and diesel.