New Delhi: The Central government said in the Lok Sabha on Monday that no scheme is under consideration to keep petrol and diesel prices uniform across the country and so far the GST Council has not recommended the inclusion of oil and gas in the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

In fact, petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri has given this information in a written reply to a question by Uday Pratap Singh and Rodmal Nagar in the Lok Sabha. Members had questioned whether the Government is considering any scheme to keep petrol and diesel uniform prices across the country. On this, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "No such scheme is under consideration of the Government. Hardeep Puri said that petrol and diesel prices vary from market to market due to factors like a value-added tax (VAT) and local recoveries.

Replying to another supplementary, Hardeep Puri said that since 2010, the prices of petroleum products have been fixed based on international market prices since the time of the UPA government. He said 32 rupees are charged as Central Excise duty and are used for free vaccination, providing MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, etc.

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