Petroleum minister hails Kerala fuel price cut, wants all states to follow suit

After Kerala cut prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 1, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan appealed all the states to reduce the fuel price. 

Kerala did well by reducing the price and all states, whether governed by BJP or opposition, should try to reduce fuel prices but each state has different priorities and responsibilities, he said.  

''I welcome it. One must also note that Kerala is one of the highest tax-collecting states and when we appealed(for fuel price cut), their finance minister refused, but now they took responsibility, I thank them for it,'' the petroleum minister said.

On the petrol price faux pas earlier in the day, he said since we moved to the mechanism of daily price change, prices have gone up and down by 1 paisa, 12 paise, 27 paise etc, it is not for the first time that there has been a change of 1 paisa. However, today one of our employees made a mistake and we accept it,'' he said. 

Earlier in the day, Indian Oil had declared that they had cut oil prices in the country by 60 paise after sixteen consecutive days of high prices which had angered everyone.

However, the euphoria of price cut short-lived as hours after announcing cut in fuel prices, Indian Oil Corporation said the revised price was actually 1 paisa and not 60 paise as previously reported blaming it on "clerical error". 

As a result, petrol prices have now have been revised down by just 1 paisa and not 60 paise in Delhi and 59 paise in Mumbai.