The numbers imply four-fifths or USD 6.5 billion of the total savings will come from lower fuel subsidy costs. Other subsidy costs will only be cut by around 5 percent.
The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was today hiked by Rs 46.50 per cylinder as part of reform measures unleashed by the government to trim its huge fuel subsidy bill.
India's budget-busting fuel subsidy bill for the current fiscal year ending in March is expected to remain unchanged even after a government decision to allow state-run oil companies to set diesel prices, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Thursday.
According to HSBC, the RBI will raise interest rate by another 75 basis points this year in order to control inflation. HSBC feels that inflation is unlikely ease soon and it go above the RBI's comfort zone.