New Delhi: The government on Tuesday freed the sale of non-PDS kerosene from regulatory control to ease its availability in the market. The subsidised kerosene, which is sold through public distribution system (PDS), is blue in colour, while the market priced cooking fuel is colourless. The Centre has amended the Kerosene (Restriction on Use and Fixation of Ceiling Price) Order, 1993.
After this amendment, the petroleum ministry said that all the activities of storage, transportation and the sale of non-PDS kerosene have been freed of the regulatory control. “In this regard, the Kerosene (Restriction on Use and Fixation of Ceiling Price) Amendment Order, 2015, has been published in the Gazette of India vide GSR.41(E) dated January 19, 2015,” said the ministry.
“It is expected that this will reduce the demand for diverted PDS kerosene by improving the availability of non-PDS kerosene in the open market and will thus meet the demand of kerosene for various legitimate end-uses for the industry and for individual consumption by those, who can afford it at market price,” added the ministry. The government has been reducing the subsidised kerosene quota of states with an increase in LPG connections. States like Delhi have already been declared free from subsidised kerosene as the government had increased the number of LPG connections in the state.
While PDS kerosene is priced at Rs 15.14 per litre, the non-subsidised or market-priced fuel comes for Rs 27.68 a litre.
