27 January 2023: Petrol-Diesel rates remain constant today for nearly 8 months!

27 January 2023: The Petrol-Diesel price held steady on 27 January 2023 i.e. Friday for nearly eight months in a row. The last country-wide fluctuations in the oil prices were observed on 21^st May 2022, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman reduced the excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre across the country.

Petrol-Diesel rates

Chennai: Petrol rate: Rs 102.63 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 94.24 per litre

Kolkata: Petrol rate today: Rs 106.03 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 92.76 per litre

Mumbai: Petrol rate: Rs 106.31 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 94.27 per litre

Delhi: Petrol rate: Rs 96.72 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 89.62 per litre

Bangalore: Petrol rate: Rs 101.94 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 87.89 per litre

Lucknow: Petrol rate: Rs 96.57 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 89.76 per litre

Noida: Petrol rate: Rs 96.79 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 89.96 per litre

Gurugram: Petrol rate: Rs 97.18 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 90.05 per litre

Chandigarh: Petrol rate: Rs 96.20 per litre, Diesel rate: Rs 84.26 per litre

Crude Oil Flucuations

On Friday, the crude oil prices edged marginally higher, extending for a second session on strong U.S. economic data and strengthening hope that the reopening of the Chinese economy would boost demand. Brent futures gained 30 cents, or 0.3%, to $87.66 a barrel by 0113 GMT, while U.S. crude rose 21 cents to $81.22 per barrel, a 0.3% gain. Both benchmarks had gained more than 1% on Thursday. Brent was on track to post its second weekly rise if gains held. Improving gross domestic product and inflation data in the US provided hope that the Federal Reserve could slow its pace of interest rate hikes, reducing fear of curtailment in economic activity and consequent oil demand.

Also Read: 25 January 2023: Fuel rates held steady today; check prices of metro cities

Value-Added Tax

Any changes in petrol and diesel costs are implemented from 6 am every day. The prices of petrol and diesel change state by state, depending upon various criteria such as Value Added Tax (VAT), freight charges, local taxes, etc. Public sector OMCs including Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) revise their prices daily in line with international benchmark prices and forex rates. Since the central government reduced excise duty, some states have reduced VAT prices on fuels.

Moreover, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently asked Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to cut the retail prices of petrol and diesel if the crude oil prices in the international market come down and also if OMCs under recovery come down. OMCs incurred a loss of Rs 21,200 crore on account of selling petrol and diesel below the cost price.