Petrol now costs Rs384.34 a litre and high-speed diesel Rs415.83, effective today (PSO).
Today
| Fuel | New | Change | Previous | |—|—|—|—| | Petrol | Rs384.34 | +Rs4.10 | Rs380.24 | | High-speed diesel | Rs415.83 | +Rs6.41 | Rs409.42 |
Ten days
| | 7 September | 16 September | Change | |—|—|—|—| | Petrol | Rs345.87 | Rs384.34 | +Rs38.47 (+11.1pc) | | High-speed diesel | Rs378.05 | Rs415.83 | +Rs37.78 (+10.0pc) |
Diesel has risen almost exactly ten percent in ten days, and is now within Rs5 of Rs421.
Why diesel is the number that reaches everyone
Diesel moves freight, buses, tractors and generators. A ten percent rise in ten days passes into the price of food, the cost of a bus fare and the margin of every haulier — and it reaches households that own no vehicle at all.
Petrol is the political number. Diesel is the one that shows up in the price of bread.
Against the relief
The ECC approved Rs75 billion on Monday: Rs500 a week for motorcyclists, Rs1,000 per ten days for cars up to 800cc, claimed by text message.
That package was calculated when petrol was Rs375.82. It is now Rs8.52 higher. For a motorcyclist buying the full 20 subsidised litres a month, the increases since the package was designed have taken back about Rs170 a month of a Rs2,000 benefit — before the next revision.
What has not changed
The levy. Rs80 petroleum levy, Rs5 climate support levy and Rs21 customs duty per litre — Rs106 — as disclosed in the ECC decision. On today’s price that is about 28 percent.
What is not established
OGRA has published no statement on the revision. It has not been said whether the relief amounts will be indexed as prices move.
[Image: X/File via The Express Tribune]
