BS Number Wise: One litre petrol takes 30% of Indians' average daily income

Fuel taxes give a bonanza to the government, but also dent the affordability for low income earners

I just paid Rs 2,142 for 20 litres of petrol in Pune today, and I could not stop gawking at the fuel station meter. I vividly remember that I had swiped for Rs 1,600 for the same quantity of petrol not very long ago. But that’s the reality almost everywhere in India.
 
This has certainly made me cautious about spending money elsewhere. But as I was driving back home, a thought struck me. Wouldn’t those like labourers, construction workers and small farmers be in a far worse situation?
 
An average Indian, according to official statistics, spends merely Rs