Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated today that the government is ensuring that there will be no price increases for petrol, diesel, and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Ms. Sitharaman said that, considering the situation in West Asia, the Prime Minister held a meeting in which it was decided that there should be no shortage of petrol, diesel, and ATF, and their prices should not be increased due to the global situation. She said that the government has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel and has decided to provide support to Oil Marketing Companies so that they can import the material and the general public does not have to face any price increases.
The Minister also stated that the Prime Minister had decided that refineries that import material from outside, refine it in India, and then export it will now have to pay a higher duty. She said that this decision has been taken so that these materials are available for the domestic market and are not exported. Ms. Sitharaman dismissed rumors of a lockdown as baseless and reassured people that there will be no lockdown implemented as was previously done during the Covid pandemic. She also expressed concern about such remarks coming from those in the political domain.