The petrol and diesel prices remained stable in the domestic market on Saturday, January 29. The state-run oil companies have not revised fuel rates for nearly three months now.
In Delhi, petrol was retailing at R ups 95.41 per litre and the cost of diesel was Rs 86.67 per litre. Similarly, in Mumbai, while petrol rates were Rs 109.98, diesel was trading at Rs 94.14 per litre.
In Bengaluru, petrol was retailing at Rs 100.58, whereas diesel stood at Rs 85.81 per litre. At the same time, the price of a litre of petrol in Chennai was Rs 101.40, while the price of diesel was Rs 91.43 per litre.
In Kolkata, petrol and diesel prices remained at Rs 104.67 and Rs 89.79 per litre respectively.
Reportedly, petrol and diesel prices have been kept unchanged in the past before elections but the current 85-day hiatus, which comes before the forthcoming high-stake assembly elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, is the longest since a daily fuel price revision was adopted in June 2017.
Daily petrol prices revision is a better proposition for a number of reasons. The first and the foremost is that it allows you to easily absorb the changes in daily petrol prices in India by a few paise. When petrol prices are revised or changed every fortnight there is a big variation in prices, which puts great additional pressure on the consumer. In India, petrol prices are revised by the oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum based on the international prices. So, when international crude oil prices gain, petrol prices in India move higher and so on. On the other hand, if crude oil prices in the international markets drop, we see a fall in daily or today's petrol prices in India. In any case, we are providing our readers with the daily petrol prices, so they can plan their requirements of filling petrol accordingly.
Cost of Crude Oil – The change in the price of crude oil in the international market directly influences the price of crude oil in the domestic market; this is one of the most important factors responsible for an increase in petrol prices in Indian domestic market. Increase in international demand, low production rate and any political unrest in the crude oil producing countries of the world severely affects petrol price. Increased Demand – Economic growth in India and other developing countries has also led to the increase in demand for the petrol and other essential fuels in India. The number of people who own private vehicles has gone up in the recent past which has contributed to the increase in demand for petrol in India; this has resulted in the hike in petrol prices in India. Mismatch of Supply & Demand – Oil refinery companies in India face problem to meet the demands of the market due to the high cost of input price of crude oil thus resulting in less supply and more demand for petrol in the country. An increase in supply results in a decrease in the price of the petrol and vice versa. Oil refining and marketing companies maintain crude oil inventory up to six weeks, which also influences the price of the petrol and petroleum products. Tax Rates – The prices of petrol and other petroleum products varies according to the local government policies which impose taxes on fuels. As and when the government of India raises tax rates on fuels the oil companies in India also increases the price of the petrol to recover losses and maintain marginal profits in the oil business in India. Rupee to Dollar Exchange Rate – The rupee-dollar exchange rate is also one of the major factors which influence the price of petrol in India. Indian oil companies pay to the oil imported from other countries in terms of dollars, but their expenses are regarding rupee. So, when the price of the crude oil is in the fall but the rupee is also weak against the dollar then it will reduce the gains to the oil refiners. On the other hand, when the rupee strengthens against the dollar and the price of the crude oil is in the fall, then the oil companies tend to gain. Logistics - Logistics is one of the significant factors in pricing retail fuel. Petrol and diesel transported to longer distances to cities or regions farther from depots will be priced higher than the places nearer to the oil companies storage area. The reason behind the change in the prices of petrol in different cities across India. This difference may be huge between cities that are far from each other. For example, petrol price in Delhi is Rs.72.38 per liter on January 24, 2018, and the same petrol price is Rs. 80.25 per litre in Mumbai.
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