The domestic consumption of diesel and petrol fell on a year-on-year basis in the financial year ended March 2021, according to the data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.
Diesel consumption stood at 72.72 million tonnes (mt) for the just-concluded financial year, 12 per cent lower than in the previous fiscal year. Petrol consumption was 7 per cent lower at 27.95 mt.
LPG consumption
LPG consumption in March was 2.26 mt, marginally lower than 2.29 mt in March last year. For the just-concluded financial year, LPG consumption stood at 27.59 million tonnes, 5 per cent higher compared to the previous fiscal year.
During March, diesel consumption stood at 7.22 mt, 28 per cent higher on a year-on-year basis, given that last March marked the beginning of the Covid-19 induced lockdown. Petrol consumption stood at 2.74 mt, 27 per cent higher on a year-on-year basis.
While monthly diesel consumption is yet to recover to pre-Covid levels, the consumption of petrol, which had crossed pre-Covid levels, had again fallen on a year-on-year basis in February. Prices of both the fuels had sky-rocketed earlier this year as crude rebounded amid historically-high excise duties.