Domestic LPG Cylinder Price Rises by Rs 29, Second Hike in Three Months

The central government has raised the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 29, effective immediately, pushing the cost of a 14.2 kg cylinder in Delhi from Rs 913 to Rs 942. This marks the second hike in just three months, adding fresh pressure on households already stretched by rising prices of daily essentials.

The previous revision came on March 7, when the government raised LPG rates by Rs 60. Prices in cities outside Delhi will differ based on state taxes and local distribution charges, meaning coastal Karnataka consumers can expect figures that vary from the Delhi benchmark.

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, combined with surging crude oil prices in global markets, are driving the revision. Industry sources point to mounting financial stress on state-owned oil marketing companies as the immediate trigger. Before this latest hike, these companies were absorbing a loss of roughly Rs 703 on every cylinder sold — a figure that signals just how far retail prices had fallen behind procurement costs.

Fuel prices beyond LPG have also climbed sharply. Petrol and diesel have risen by a combined Rs 7.50 per litre since mid-May, while CNG prices moved up by around Rs 6 per kg. Even after those revisions, oil companies reportedly continue to sell petrol at a loss of about Rs 11 per litre and diesel at Rs 33.6 per litre.

Government officials maintain that the full weight of global fuel price increases is not being passed on to consumers, with oil companies absorbing a portion of the burden. Critics, however, will note that back-to-back hikes arrive precisely when food and grocery bills are already straining middle-class and low-income budgets.

For ordinary families, the arithmetic is straightforward and uncomfortable. Each successive rate revision — whether at the gas agency, the petrol pump or the CNG station — chips away at household budgets that have little room left to adjust. The LPG hike, modest on paper, lands as one more weight on a scale that keeps tilting against the consumer.

📰 Source: Udupi Times