Diesel to be cheaper by Rs 8 in Delhi as VAT reduced to 16.75%: Kejriwal

The Delhi Cabinet has decided to reduce VAT (Value Added Tax) on diesel from 30 per cent to 16.75 per cent. This will reduce the price of diesel in Delhi from Rs 82 to Rs 73.64 i.e. by Rs 8.36 per litre, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.

Oil marketing companies raised diesel rates by 15 paise a litre in Delhi on July 26, taking the retail selling price to Rs 81.94 per litre, its highest ever. However, petrol prices have not been altered since June 29 and remained unchanged at Rs 80.43 per litre in Delhi.

Domestic petrol and diesel prices are determined broadly by crude oil and forex rates and vary from state to state due to value-added tax (VAT). Due to a reduction in VAT, the diesel prices in Delhi have come down significantly now as compared to other states. While a litre of diesel will cost Rs 73.64 per litre in the national capital, it costs Rs 82.64 per litre in Rajasthan; Rs 81.29 per litre in MP; Rs 79.81 in Maharashtra; Rs 79.68 in Chhattisgarh; and Rs 79.05 in Gujarat.

In the past a few weeks, diesel prices have risen on 30 occasions, while petrol rates have risen 21 times. Oil companies began the daily revision of the two auto fuels from June 7 after keeping the price unchanged for 82 days during COVID-19 induced lockdown.

The Delhi CM also updated people of Delhi on the response the state government received on the job portal set up to provide employment opportunities to people. "We are receiving a good response on the job portal that was announced just a few days back. Around 7,577 companies have registered, 2,04,785 jobs have been advertised and 3,22,865 people have applied for jobs on it," Kejriwal said.

The state government had launched the job portal called jobs.delhi.gov.in on July 27. It's aimed to serve as "Rozgar bazaar" for both job seekers as well as recruiters and to revive the Delhi's economy. The services of the job portal are free and an applicant does not need not pay any money to anyone for registration.

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