New Delhi: In a price notification, state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) have conveyed that cooking gas LPG price has been hiked by Rs 25 per cylinder across categories, both subsidised, that are availed by Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries, and non-subsidised. According to the notification released on Thursday, a 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi now costs Rs 794 as against Rs 769. This marks the third increase in LPG prices in the country this month on account of an increase in international prices in the wake of a recovery in demand.
In February, the first increase in LPG cylinder price of Rs 25 was announced on February 4. It was followed by with an increase of Rs 50 on February 15. And the current hike in price is the third time the LPG cylinder price has been hiked. The new LPG price in Kolkata is Rs 820. In Mumbai, the 14.2-Kg cylinder now costs Rs 794 and in Chennai Rs 810. In Hyderabad, the price is Rs 846.50. LPG prices have been on the rise since December 2020 and rates have gone up by Rs 200 per cylinder in the last three months.
LPG prices in India are determined based on the international product – propane and butane. The government gives subsidy to select customers. However, subsidies in metro and major cities have been eliminated through successive increase in prices over the last couple of years.
The LPG price hike comes in the backdrop of a rise in petrol and diesel prices. The Modi government is facing severe backlash for not reducing the taxes levied on fuel which is causing the retail cost to scale new heights as global crude oil prices rebound. Earlier in 2020, the government had increased taxes on fuel when the global crude oil prices had plunged to a historic low.
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