Petrol, diesel prices up by ₹3 per litre days after PM Modi's 'save' fuel' call

Petrol and diesel prices were raised by ₹3 per litre on Friday, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to work from home.

State-run oil marketing companies on Friday increased petrol and diesel prices by ₹3 per litre each, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to adopt austerity measures to conserve foreign exchange by reducing imports of crude oil and precious metals.

Commuters queue up at a petrol pump after petrol and diesel prices were hiked by ₹3 per litre each, the first increase in over four years. (PTI)

The retail price of petrol in Delhi has now risen from ₹94.77 per litre to ₹97.77 per litre, while diesel prices have increased from ₹87.67 per litre to ₹90.67 per litre. Track petrol, diesel prices here

The increase, however, varied across cities due to differences in local levies. According to revised rates, petrol in Kolkata now costs ₹108.74 per litre, an increase of ₹3.29 per litre, while in Mumbai it rose to ₹106.68 per litre, up by ₹3.14. In Chennai, petrol prices climbed by ₹2.83 to ₹103.67 per litre, a company executive said.

For regular diesel, pump prices in Kolkata increased by ₹3.11 to ₹95.13 per litre. In Mumbai, diesel now costs ₹93.14 per litre, also up by ₹3.11, while in Chennai the price rose by ₹2.86 to ₹95.25 per litre, the executive added.

Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri had earlier indicated that a price revision was likely. Speaking at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event in the national capital on Tuesday, Puri said the government would eventually have to take a call on increasing the prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel.

His remarks came after Prime Minister Modi’s appeal on Sunday urging people to conserve both energy and foreign exchange, a message he reiterated on Monday.