Petrol, diesel prices at fresh highs as rates up for 2nd straight day
New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices on Wednesday scaled new highs in the country as rates were hiked for the second day in a row.
Petrol price was hiked by 30 paise per litre and diesel by 25 paise a litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. The increase took petrol price to an all-time high of Rs 87.60 a litre in Delhi and to Rs 94.12 in Mumbai.
Diesel rates rose to Rs 77.73 per litre in the national capital and to an all-time high of Rs 84.63 in Mumbai. Rates vary from state to state depending on the local incidence of taxation (VAT) and freight.
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Rajya Sabha said the government is not considering a reduction in excise duty to cool rates from their record highs.
Rates have risen as international oil prices crossed USD 61 per barrel for the first time in more than a year on improving demand outlook amid the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, he said on Wednesday.
Central and state taxes make up for over 61 per cent of the retail selling price of petrol and about 56 per cent of diesel.
Fuel rates had gone up by 30 paise per litre each on Tuesday. So far this year, prices have risen by Rs 3.89 per litre in case of petrol and by Rs 3.86 on diesel.
Last week, Mukesh Kumar Surana, head of India's third-largest fuel retailer Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) had said that oil companies have little handle to control retail prices. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Director (Finance) N Vijayagopal on Tuesday had voiced a similar opinion.
Relief to consumers can come from a cut in government taxes, they said.
Retail petrol rates have risen by Rs 18.01 per litre since mid-March 2020 after the government raised taxes by a record margin to mop up gains arising from fall in international oil prices. Diesel rates have gone up by Rs 15.44.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
