FM pegs fuel subsidy for current fiscal at Rs 20,000cr

A day after agreeing to dole out a record Rs 100,000 crore in fuel subsidy for 2012-13, finance minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said cash payouts to oil firms this fiscal will be just Rs 20,000 crore.

At a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the finance minister had on Wednesday agreed to give an additional Rs 45,000 crore on top of the Rs 55,000 crore already paid to oil firms for selling diesel, cooking gas (LPG) and kerosene at government-controlled rates.

"We have done our sums and this Rs 45,000 crore is being given yesterday on account but we do not expect any more claims from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for 2012-13," Chidambaram told reporters here. State fuel retailers had lost Rs 161,029 crore in revenues on selling diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene at government controlled rates which are way below market price.

With Wednesday's Rs 45,000 crore, the government has committed to make good Rs 100,000 crore out of this. Another Rs 60,000 crore will be chipped in by upstream firms like ONGC.

"In fact there (oil ministry's) own number indicated Rs 1,61,000 crore (of under-recovery or revenue loss) and if you take note of the fact that we gave them Rs 55,000 crore earlier and Rs 45,000 crore yesterday, that takes care of Rs 1 lakh crore and Rs 60,000 crore (would) come from the upstream companies so thats take care of it," he said.

The additional Rs 45,000 crore payment will come out of Rs 65,000 crore budget for fuel subsidy in the current fiscal, leaving just Rs 20,000 crore. Also, upstream firms will be expected to chip in Rs 60,000 crore, equal to what they did in 2012-13.

"Now for this year the budgeted (fuel subsidy is) Rs 65,000. We still have Rs 20,000 crore (after paying Rs 45,000 crore) and another Rs 60,000 crore will come from upstream companies," Chidambaram said.