Industry players seek parity with crude oil vis-a-vis import duty in the budget

As the country strives to ramp up the use of natural gas, industry players have sought parity with crude oil vis-a-vis import duty in the budget, due in little more than a month.

Industry has argued parity with crude would boost the use of the clean fuel and increase its share in the energy mix.

The customs duty on crude oil is nil, whereas natural gas attracts a duty of 5 per cent. However, it attracts zero customs duty when used in electricity.

They said this was an anomaly and dissuaded the use of clean energy at a time the government is keen to reduce the use of fossil fuel in the energy basket.