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Every time India has faced a major crisis - whether devastating floods, a once-in-a-century pandemic or the latest conflict in West Asia that threatened global oil supplies - it has been the country's state-run oil companies that have quietly kept fuel flowing. For decades, India's public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have often been criticised for low returns, government intervention in fuel pricing and bloated operations. They have twice been put on the block for privatisation, with plans to sell Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) gathering momentum in 2002 before being halted by a Supreme Court ruling and again in 2020, before the process was abandoned after failing to attract enough bids. Yet every national emergency has reinforced why governments have been reluctant to loosen their grip on companies that control the country's energy lifeline, analysts and industry officials said. When unprecedented floods submerged Chennai in
Petrol and diesel prices were raised by Rs 2.61-2.71 per litre on Monday, marking the fourth increase in less than two weeks, as state-owned firms continued to pass on rising international prices to consumers. With the latest revision, cumulative increases in petrol and diesel prices are almost Rs 7.5 per litre since fuel rate revision resumed on May 15 after a prolonged freeze. Petrol price was increased by Rs 2.61 a litre to Rs 102.12 per litre in Delhi from Rs 99.51. Diesel rates have been increased by Rs 2.71 to Rs 95.20 per litre from Rs 92.49, industry sources said. The hikes come amid elevated global crude oil prices and a weakening rupee, which have increased pressure on oil marketing companies' import costs.