Petroleum minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Tuesday that as of now there was no proposal to steeply hike diesel and LPG prices. Instead, Mr Moily launched an austerity-cum-conservation drive to reduce fuel consumption and help manage the current account deficit by saving “billions of dollars”.
“As of today, there is no proposal to increase the price of diesel except for what the Cabinet authorised in January,” Mr Moily said. However, when probed further, the minister said diesel pricing was “a dynamic matter”.
He said: “When you ask a question today, my answer today will be no. But at the same time, we have concerns, issues with regard to under-recoveries, and there are other alternatives we are working on.”
Mr Moily said he had urged the department of personnel to consider staggered timings for government offices to help decongest road traffic in peak hours. “I have also urged all chief ministers, major PSU heads and heads of different Central ministries to declare one day of the week as a ‘bus day’, when all may be encouraged to utilise only public transport for their daily commute,” Mr Moily said.