Govt raises kerosene, diesel prices by Tk 15

Govt raises kerosene, diesel prices by Tk 15

The government has increased the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 a litre with effect today.

The prices of diesel and kerosene have been increased to Tk 80 a litre from Tk 65, said a notification issued by the power and energy ministry.

The prices of octane and petrol have been kept unchanged at Tk 89 a litre and Tk 86 per a litre, respectively.

The state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has recently submitted a proposal to submit to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division under the ministry for the price hike of diesel and kerosene, claiming that the corporation is incurring losses due to the price hike of fuel oils on the international market.

The price hike of the fuel oils, mostly used by the transport and the agriculture sectors and the poor, has come at a time when people, especially from the lower and the middle income groups, are struggling amid the price hike of essential commodities like rice, edible oils and lentil.

The government in April 2016 decreased the prices of diesel and kerosene to Tk 65 a litre from Tk 68 amid the slide in the prices of the fuel oils on the international market.

Despite the cut, the BPC have made a profit of Tk 15.75 on diesel and Tk 16.75 on kerosene for years as the crude oil prices on the international have remained low till the beginning of this year.