Petrol prices on Friday crossed the Rs-80 mark in Delhi as fuel compnaies announced the 20th hike in a row. Petrol price was increased by 21 paise to Rs 80.13 per litre in Delhi. Diesel jumped by 17 paise to Rs 80.19 per litre.
In Mumbai, the price of petrol touched Rs 86.91 a litre and diesel went up to Rs 78.51 a litre. In Kolkata, the prices were at Rs 81.82 a litre and Rs 75.34 a litre, respectively.
During the time of lockdown, oil marketing companies did not revise the prices for 83 days in a row and started revising it upward only from June 8 onwards.
A major reason for diesel costing more than petrol in Delhi was an increase in value-added tax (VAT) levied on diesel by the state government in May 2020. The state had increased the VAT on diesel from 16.75 per cent to 30 per cent and on diesel from 27 per cent to 30 per cent.
