New Delhi: Prices of diesel were lowered marginally on Thursday, marking its first cut for the first time in close to six months after state-owned fuel retailers reduced retail selling rate by 16 paise per litre.
In the national capital diesel was now at Rs 73.40 per litre, as against Rs 73.56 a litre previously, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.
Petrol, which witnessed the second rally in rates beginning mid-August, was unchanged at Rs 82.08 a litre.
Thursday’s cut is the first reduction in diesel price since mid-March. It was then when Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) had kept the diesel rates unchanged 82 days to adjust a record hike in excise duty on auto fuels against falling benchmark cost.
Before the latest reduction, diesel rates had gone up by Rs 12.55 a litre between June 7 and July 25. Diesel price has remained unchanged in the country since July 25, except in Delhi where a reduction in VAT lowered the rate by Rs 8.38 per litre.
