'Oil cos overstating deficit from sale'

A committee headed by him has been examining the "reported deficit and the real deficit faced by oil marketing companies as a result of price constraints imposed on them."

The committee, which also includes the government's chief economic advisor Dr Arvind Virmani and member of the Prime Minister's economic advisory council Dr Saumitra Chaudhuri, was set up at the behest of the Prime Minister last month to look at the financials of the oil companies.

Last year, the three oil marketing companies