Govt policy led to hike in fuel prices
The prices of petrol and diesel are increasing since the last month and half. Rupee value has hit the rock bottom. As a result of these two incidences, prices of essential items have been skyrocketing. Congress and left parties staged a nationwide bandh against this. Finance minister Arun Jaitley does not have a straight answer for this uncontrolled hike in fuel prices. He speaks about economy, GDP and fiscal health of the country as a response to questions on this issue. He says the country is in a good space as far as economy is concerned and gives out data on that topic.
But these numbers can never satiate the hunger of general public. Rupee has collapsed to unseen depths in the history of the country to less than Rs 70 against the dollar.In the past, RBI and Finance ministry would take steps to ensure rupee does not have a free fall against the dollar at regular intervals. But ever since liberal economic policy came into being, controlling measures cannot be initiated. Further collapse of rupee would turn the foreign exchange costlier. This would render a serious blow to the foreign exchange. And that in turn, would leave a very heavy burden on the economy of the country.
The hike and reckless run of fuel prices has a reason. They have been made control free and the rates of petrol and diesel hence are beyond anybody’s supervision. Modi govt’s policies regarding this issue are filled with massive loopholes. The govt raised excise duty on petrol and diesel when the rates of crude oil fell in 2014 global market. Between 2014 November and 2018 January, the excise duty has been hiked about 9 times. Petrol carries an excise duty of Rs 11.15 and diesel has Rs 13.47 excise duty component on that. Hence, even if the crude oil rates come down, the benefit of that will not be passed on to the general public.
The taxing system in India is a very complicated and unsavoury one. Value added tax would be applied in states above excise duties from the central government. Hence half the price of fuel goes as taxes. Though Rs 2 has been reduced from taxes in 2018 budget, it has not made much of a difference to the people. On one hand, Rs 2 tax has been reduced and a cess of Rs 8 has been added. About six years ago, crude oil had reached USD 140 per barrel, now it is $ 70 per barrel. With this, ideally, petrol and diesel rates should have been reduced. But why did it increase? The whole reason for this is the unfriendly policies of Narendra Modi govt. It is not an appropriate step for the government to have opened everything for liberalization, in the name of economy. Petrol, diesel and LPG rates must be controlled by the government. Along with this, the rupee value has to be controlled and checked. Else, the government will have to face the ire of the people.
Inflation and increase in prices of essential commodities, are the result of constantly increasing fuel prices. Around July 2018 and the corresponding time last year, index stood at 6.9% apart. Petrol and diesel rates have increased manifold after that. This has led to transportation and increased expenses in tractors and pumpsets. Farmers are in deep trouble. If the increase in excise duty is not withdrawn, situation may turn even worse. But the Modi govt is refusing to reduce the rates on the pretext of maintaining economic balance. This government gave tax rebates to the rich and affluent. And now it is snatching away savings from the poor and the helpless.
Excise duty is very high on the most essential needs of most people, the fuel. And this rate keeps changing everyday. Petrol and diesel come from foreign countries. Hence, we end up paying more say the union ministers. How come India was still charging high rates on this product even when international crude oil rates were high? The government needs to bring down excise duty on petrol, diesel and LPG. Frustration is piling up among people against these issues. Soon, the BJP party would be approaching people for its votes to win elections again. The government has to somehow find ways to reduce the excise duty and bring down prices.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
