The Central government on Friday increased the price of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinders by Rs 993 across India amid Middle-East war. On the other hand, the central government has decided to keep the rates of domestic LPG unchanged. A 19 kg commercial cylinder will now cost Rs 3,071.50 in Delhi. The price of LPG cylinder has been increased three times since the start of the conflict involving Israel and Iran. It was first increased by Rs 144 in March, followed by another hike of nearly Rs 200 on April 1. The hike is expected to impact restaurants, eateries, and other businesses hard, since they rely on cooking fuel for their day-to-day operations. The restaurants are likely to pass on the burden to consumers by making outside dining and food delivery a bit more expensive.
The prices of petrol and diesel have remained unchanged, fully insulating domestic consumers from the recent increase in international fuel prices. Approximately 80% of petroleum products have witnessed no change in prices. Along with this, the government has made no changes in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices for domestic airlines (scheduled operations).
While the prices of domestic LPG remain unchanged, households in cities will now be able to book cylinder only after 25 days (as opposed to 21 days earlier). India’s three major oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation (Indane), Bharat Petroleum (Bharat Gas), and Hindustan Petroleum (HP Gas) — have finalised new rules (effective May 1). Under the new directives, the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) has been made non-negotiable. Customers will now have to give an OTP sent to their registered mobile number instead of showing a physical blue book or receipt.
