State fuel ⁠retailers are incurring a daily loss of 7.5 billion rupees, the government said. AFP
State fuel ⁠retailers are incurring a daily loss of 7.5 billion rupees, the government said. AFP
State fuel ⁠retailers are incurring a daily loss of 7.5 billion rupees, the government said. AFP
State fuel ⁠retailers are incurring a daily loss of 7.5 billion rupees, the government said. AFP

India increases fuel prices for second time in a week as retailers face heavy losses


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India have raised prices ​of petrol ​and diesel ​by nearly a rupee a ⁠litre on Tuesday, fuel retailers in New Delhi ⁠said, as the government moves ​to recover losses incurred from high global crude prices.

After the increase ⁠of about 0.9 rupees ($0.0093), petrol will cost 98.64 rupees a litre while diesel will be 91.58 rupees a litre, ⁠dealers said.

Prices vary across the country because of regional ​taxes.

The ⁠world's third-largest importer ‌and consumer of oil is one of the last major economies ​to raise retail fuel prices after the US-Israeli war on Iran caused the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Global oil prices rose to more than $120 a barrel, before pulling back slightly.

State-run Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum, which together control more than 90 per cent of a network of 103,000 fuel stations, tend to set prices in tandem.

Tuesday's increase followed India's first rise in four years last Friday when it raised petrol and diesel prices by three rupees a litre.

Analysts and opposition ​parties said that the government, headed by ‌Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ⁠postponed increasing prices because of key ​state elections.

Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party went on to ​win ‌two of the four key states, expanding its influence.

Sujata Sharma, a ⁠joint secretary in the federal Oil Ministry, on Monday said ⁠state fuel retailers were incurring a daily loss of 7.5 billion rupees on sales.

The government is not currently planning any financial support for state retailers, she added.

Mr Modi has ​urged people to limit their travel to conserve fuel and curb buying gold.

Updated: May 19, 2026, 5:06 AM