Excise duty on fuel lowered by Rs 2 but road cess raised to Rs 8 from Rs 6

Giving a major boost to fuel consumers, the Union government today cut the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre.

However, Opposition parties cried foul that the hike in road cess from Rs 6 to Rs 8 per litre has negated the impact of the excise duty cut. This comes at a time when the petrol and diesel prices are touching new heights with global crude oil prices too surging upwards of $70 per barrel. Petrol and diesel prices in Delhi were at Rs 73.05 per litre and diesel was at Rs 64.11 a litre. Meanwhile,