Lucknow: Hours after the Centre announced reduction in excise duty on fuel, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh also took a decision to further slash fuel prices.
Diesel and petrol in Uttar Pradesh will now be cheaper by Rs 12 per litre and the new rates will come into effect from Thursday.
The pre-Diwali announcement that came around midnight is a massive relief for people with petrol prices having touched a high of Rs 106.96 per litre in the state on Wednesday and diesel at Rs 98.91 per litre.
From Thursday, petrol will be available at Rs 94.96 per litre and diesel at Rs 86.91 per litre.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister Adityanath had recently held meetings to discuss the possibility of reducing VAT on fuel but discussions remained inconclusive.
Senior officials said the matter had been under consideration and it was decided that the government would wait till the Centre takes a call on the matter.
“The Centre has reduced the cost of petrol by Rs 5 per litre and diesel by Rs 10 per litre. Uttar Pradesh has slashed taxes by Rs 7 per litre on petrol and Rs 2 per litre on diesel, effectively bringing down the price of both by Rs 12 per litre,” a state government spokesperson said.
“There was pressure on states to bring down prices even further in view of the continuous rise over the last several months. More states are likely to announce cuts over the next few days.”
(IANS)
Ms Kalinga