INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Prices at the pump have surged on the back of rallying international markets for crude oilNew Delhi: The government is looking at ways to
keep rising fuel prices in check, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday, with retail rates for diesel and petrol touching record
highs in Delhi and Mumbai.Prices at the pump have surged on the back of rallying international markets for crude oil, which last week hit
their strongest since late-2014 amid ongoing production cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)."Various
alternatives are being looked at," Mr Pradhan said in a televised speech, adding that he would "work out something soon"
He did not give details.Opposition leaders have criticised the government for failing to rein in rising fuel prices, a politically-sensitive
issue in one of the world's biggest economies.India is particularly at risk from stronger global prices for crude oil as it is the No.3
importer of the commodity, buying about 80 per cent of its oil needs.On Monday, industry lobby group FICCI called for an immediate cut in
the excise duty on oil imports.The cost of the growing thirst for oil around Asia will surpass $1 trillion this year, about twice as much as
in 2015 and 2016, as oil prices touch $80 per barrel and continental demand hits a record.
