New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The excise duty rates on petrol and diesel have been calibrated to generate resources for infrastructure building and other developmental expenditure keeping in view the prevailing fiscal situation, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Tuesday.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said petrol price had gone up by ₹ 3.83 a litre in May, ₹ 4.58 in June and ₹ 2.73 in July (up to July 16).

In April, the prices of petrol and diesel were revised down by ₹ 0.16 and ₹ 0.14 a litre, respectively.

The retail selling price of diesel rose by ₹ 4.42 a litre in May, ₹ 4.03 in June and ₹ 0.69 in July (up to July 16).

The retail selling price of petrol and diesel in Delhi on July 16, 2021, stood at ₹ 101.54/litre and ₹ 89.87/litre respectively, he said.

"The excise duty rates on petrol and diesel have been calibrated to generate resources for infrastructure and other developmental items of expenditure keeping in view the prevailing fiscal situation," Chaudhary said.

In the first three months (April-June) of the current fiscal, the total excise duty collected on petrol and diesel was ₹ 94,181 crore.

Excise collections on petrol and diesel jumped by 88 per cent to ₹ 3.35 lakh crore in the last fiscal ended March 31, 2021, after excise duty was raised to a record high.

Excise duty on petrol was hiked from ₹ 19.98 per litre to ₹ 32.9 last year to recoup gains arising from international oil prices plunging to multi-year low as the pandemic gulped demand.

The same on diesel was raised to ₹ 31.8 from ₹ 15.83 a litre.

The prices of petrol and diesel are market-determined with effect from June 26, 2010 and October 19, 2014, respectively. Since then, the public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been taking appropriate decision on pricing of petrol and diesel on the basis of international product prices and other market conditions.

The OMCs have increased and decreased the prices of petrol and diesel according to changes in international prices and rupee dollar exchange rate, he said.

"The government is making concerted efforts to raise resources for infrastructure and other developmental items of expenditure, the details of which were announced in the annual Budget.

"The excise duty rates on petrol and diesel have been calibrated to generate these resources keeping in view the prevailing fiscal situation. VAT on petrol and diesel are levied by states," he added.

Chaudhary was replying to a separate question on whether the government proposes to cut down high excise duty on petrol and diesel and whether it will continue to increase excise duty and VAT on these products.

Excise duty calibration on petrol and diesel funds infrastructure spending while retail prices remain market-determined. Excise duty rates on petrol and diesel have been calibrated to generate resources for infrastructure and other developmental expenditure; duty increases raised excise collections to recoup revenue shortfalls from earlier international price declines. Retail petrol and diesel prices are market-determined and set by public sector oil marketing companies based on international product prices and exchange rates, while VAT on these fuels is imposed by states.