Prices up again; petrol crosses 119 in border districts of MP, diesel touches 108

Prices of petrol and diesel were hiked for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday by 35 paise per litre, taking the total increase in rates on petrol to Rs 36 per litre and on diesel to Rs 26.58 in less than 18 months.
Petrol is now above Rs 100-a-litre-mark in all major cities, while diesel has crossed the century mark in more than a dozen states.

In Delhi, petrol now costs Rs 107.24 a litre and diesel costs Rs 95.97, but the real scorcher came from the border districts of Madhya Pradesh, with petrol crossing Rs 119 in Anuppur and diesel touching around Rs 108 per litre.

In MP's Balaghat district, which shares its borders with Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, petrol has reached Rs 118.25 per litre and diesel Rs 107.46 per litre respectively. It's slightly less in capital Bhopal, at Rs 115.90 and Rs 105.27 respectively.

The total increase in prices since May 5, 2020, the day the government decided to raise excise duty to record levels, now totals Rs 35.98 per litre for petrol and Rs 26.58 per litre for diesel.

Opposition parties including Congress have been critical of the government over the price hikes and have demanded a reduction in taxes, while the government said the levies funded vaccines and schemes for the poor during the pandemic.

The increase in fuel prices has stoked concerns over inflation as diesel is the mainstay fuel used for transporting goods, including agri commodities.