Premium petrol price crosses Rs 100, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan gives reason for price hike

New Delhi, Saturday 13 February 2021

In some cities of the country, the price of premium petrol has crossed Rs 100 on Saturday. These cities also include Bhopal.

Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday blamed oil-producing countries for artificially raising prices. Retail prices of petrol and diesel are at an all-time high, and opposition parties are slamming the government over rising fuel prices. "As crude oil becomes more expensive, we are facing challenges in terms of prices," he said.

The minister is here to attend the inauguration of a petrochemical park at the BPCL Kochi refinery by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. He said the Covid-19 lockdown had led to a drop in global demand for petroleum products and forced petroleum producers to reduce production. He further said that now the economy is back on track and India is back to almost pre-covid-19 state.

However, oil producers have not increased production. "I am saddened to say that oil-producing countries do not care about the interests of consumer countries," he told reporters. They have created methods of artificial pricing. This is causing problems for consumer countries. " The minister, however, said that the oil-producing countries have said some positive things about increasing production.