Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the rising prices of petrol and diesel have not impacted the common man, reported The Economic Times.
The prices of petroleum products raised 22 times in the past 23 days led to a countrywide agitation by Congress against the government.
Defending the price rise, Pradhan said the national economy - as well as the global one - was going through a challenging time and that it had impacted the demand and supply of fuel across the world, said the report.
He said that, due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, there was a 70 percent reduction in demand for petrol and diesel in April and May. However, with resumed economic activity, the demand is coming back towards normal, Pradhan was quoted as saying.
In such a scenario, the recent increase in petrol and diesel prices has not impacted the common man, said the report quoting Pradhan.
“When a problem comes in a family, the person carefully manages the finances to meet future challenges. The hike in fuel price should be seen like this,” Pradhan said.
He further said that the tax revenue earned from petrol and diesel is being used to fund health, employment and economic security of the people of the country, said the report.
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Scheme, we have provided Rs. 1,70,000 crore under several schemes for poor and farmers,” said the union minister.
Pradhan also slammed the Congress and its chief Sonia Gandhi for launching a nationwide agitation against the government for raising prices of petrol and diesel.
“Sonia Gandhi and Congress cannot digest the welfare of poor people,” he added.
