Get A Cylinder Delivered At Your Doorstep On A Voice Note: Hardeep Puri's Big Announcement

New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Sigh Puri on Monday announced a new ‘voice note’ service to get LPG cylinders delivered at citizens door step.

Making the announcement, Hardeep Puri said that there was a time when LPG cylinder was an item which was rare, one had to stand in a queue or use someone's influence but after the Modi government assumed office, today one can actually send an SMS, IVRS, give a voice call or send a WhatsApp Message and the cylinder will be delivered your doorstep.

The Union Minister also announced an increase in LPG cylinder prices by Rs 50. So the cost for one LPG cylinder under Ujjwala Yojana will go up from Rs 500 to Rs 550 and non-subsidised cylinder from Rs 803 to Rs 853.

“The price per cylinder of LPG will increase by Rs 50. From 500, it will go up to 550 (for PMUY beneficiaries) and for others it will go up from Rs 803 to Rs 853. This is a step which we will review as we go along. We review these every 2-3 weeks. Therefore, the excise duty that you have seen increase is not to go on to the consumer on petrol and diesel. That excise increase is intended to compensate the oil marketing companies for Rs 43,000 crore that they have incurred as a loss on the gas part of it...,” he said.

This Rs 50 increase per cylinder will be for the Ujjwala beneficiary and overall for the non-Ujjwala beneficiary as well. This will be reviewed after every 15-30 days. In the case of petrol and diesel, if this trend remains, then the price is likely to be revised, the Union Minister said.

Hardeep Singh Puri also clarified that the increase in excise duty on Petrol and Diesel by Rs 2 won't affect the consumer.

In a statement, Hardeep Singh Puri said, "You would have seen a notification from the Ministry of Finance saying that the excise rates are going up by Rs 2 on petrol and diesel. Let me clarify upfront on the record, this will not be passed on to the consumer... The international price of crude came down to around $60 a barrel, but please remember that our oil marketing companies carry inventories over a 45-day period. If you go back to January, the crude price then was $83, which came down subsequently to $75. So the crude inventory that they're carrying is at $75 on average per barrel... You can legitimately expect prices of petrol and diesel to be moderated by the oil marketing companies in keeping with the global price. In a deregulated sector, you can expect them to accordingly adjust the market retail price."

The Minister further added that even if there is some moderation in fuel prices in the coming days, it would be in the downward direction and not upwards, means there is a possibility of fuel becoming cheaper.