Bhopal: The prices of petrol and diesel may come down by few notches in the state before Diwali. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hinted this while talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a function held on Thursday. Chouhan, answering a question about reduction in VAT on the two fossil fuels, said, “People may get a gift soon”.
Presently, the state government charges 31 percent VAT on petrol and 27 percent on diesel. In addition, it has also imposed a cess of Rs 4 and Rs 1.5 per litre on petrol and diesel respectively. Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday again tweeted his request to state governments to provide relief to people by slashing VAT by five percent. National BJP president Amit Shah re-tweeted it and thus endorsed the request.
Sources said that the central government has directed all BJP-ruled states to reduce VAT on both the commodities. The centre had, recently, reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 each. But that has not lessened people’s anger against skyrocketing prices of the two fuels. The centre’s directive is being seen as an attempt to douse the public resentment. Madhya Pradesh goes to assembly polls next year and hence the central government wants the state government to act quickly on the issue.
