Govt's Diwali gift: Excise duty on petrol, diesel cut

Buckling under pressure, the government on Wednesday cut the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively to bring down retail rates from record highs.

The announcement comes on the eve of Diwali which will help bring down the skyrocketing prices of fuel and provide some relief to the common man battling inflation.

"Government of India has taken a significant decision of reducing central excise duty on petrol & diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively from tomorrow.

"Prices of petrol and diesel will thus come down accordingly," an official statement said.

Farmers have, through their hard work, kept the economic growth momentum going even during the lockdown phase and the massive reduction in excise on diesel will come as a boost to them during the upcoming Rabi season, it added.

In recent months, crude oil prices have witnessed a global upsurge.

Consequently, domestic prices of petrol and diesel had increased in recent weeks, exerting inflationary pressure, it said.

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