New Delhi: Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today said that he was personally in touch with his counterparts in the Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia, and Russia to sort the nationwide crisis over rising fuel prices.
Speaking to the media, he said, ‘I am talking to my counterparts in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries, and Russia… we are working at various levels.’
This comes days after he defended fuel and diesel tariffs on Friday, claiming that the levies helped support government programmes that provided millions of people with free Covid vaccines, meals, and cooking gas during the pandemic.
The Centre, on the other hand, has justified the taxes by claiming that they are required to pay numerous welfare programmes. Domestic rates, Puri said, are connected to international oil costs, which have risen for a variety of reasons that must be recognised.