New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The government has slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 a litre and exempted diesel from the duty as it seeks to shield consumers from the impact of rising global crude prices amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Global crude prices have risen by almost 50 per cent since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering sweeping retaliation from Tehran.

In a notification issued late on March 26, the Finance Ministry cut excise duty to Rs 3 a litre, from Rs 13 a litre earlier, while the levy on diesel has been slashed to nil from Rs 10 earlier. The duty cuts are effective immediately, the ministry said.

Despite the spike in international prices, retail pump rates have not been changed putting a strain on finances of oil companies.

To give relief to oil companies, the government has cut excise duty on petrol and diesel.

Tracking the excise duty cut notification, shares of fuel retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL opened higher on BSE.

Rating agency ICRA, in a note on Thursday, had said if the average crude oil price goes up to USD 100-105/bbl, fuel retailers would incur a loss of Rs 11 per litre on petrol and Rs 14 per litre on diesel, respectively.

ICRA had also said that the government may reduce excise duty rates on petrol and diesel to keep retail sale prices stable at existing levels, giving oil companies more headroom to collect additional revenue to compensate for refining losses.

International oil prices touched USD 119 per barrel earlier this month on the intensifying Iran war, before pulling back to around USD 100 a barrel.

India imports 88 per cent of its crude oil needs and roughly half of its natural gas requirement. These mostly come via the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian government, military and nuclear facilities, Iran warned shipping away from the strait, and insurers withdrew coverage, effectively halting tanker movements.

Nayara Energy, which operates 6,967 of India's 102,075 petrol pumps, has decided to pass on part of the increase in input costs to consumers and has raised petrol prices by Rs 5/litre and diesel by Rs 3/litre. Petrol at Nayara pumps now costs Rs 100.71 a litre and diesel costs Rs 91.31 per litre.

Jio-bp, the fuel retailing joint venture of Reliance Industries and BP Plc that owns 2,185 outlets, has, however, so far not raised prices despite incurring heavy losses on the sale of petrol and diesel.

State-owned fuel retailers, who control about 90 per cent of the market, continue to keep rates frozen. A litre of normal petrol in Delhi continues to cost Rs 94.77, while the same grade diesel comes for Rs 87.67 a litre. PTI JD ANZ MR

Excise duty cut on petrol and diesel eases fuel cost pressure amid rising global crude prices. Excise duty on petrol has been reduced and diesel has been exempted from the levy with immediate effect to cushion consumers and fuel retailers from the impact of rising global crude prices. The notification lowers the duty on petrol and brings the diesel duty to nil, reflecting a policy response to volatility in international oil markets and the strain created by unchanged retail pump prices. The duty reduction is intended to provide headroom to fuel retailers by easing input-cost pressure and supporting price stability in the domestic market.