Oil ministry seeks Rs 13,500 cr for OMCs

Finance ministry contests figure.

The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has sought Rs 13,500-crore subsidy from the government to compensate the revenue loss incurred by the three oil marketing companies during the first quarter of this financial year. The ministry of finance, though, is not likely to grant the amount in the forthcoming first supplementary to the budget.

A senior finance ministry official said parliamentary approval would be sought only for Rs 14,000 crore subsidy that was due for payment to Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd for 2009-10.

“There will not be any provision for the current year in the supplementary, which will be presented in the monsoon session of Parliament, starting July 26. Subsidy for the current year would be given only after the sharing mechanism is decided. The two ministries have held several rounds of meetings but a final view will be taken by an empowered group of ministers,” said the official.

The Budget 2010-11 had provided only Rs 3,108 crore for petroleum subsidy for the current year but the ministry of finance would now need to make a provision of Rs 14,000 crore which the three companies have already accounted as accruals in their accounts for 2009-10.

The government has asked upstream oil and gas producing companies – ONGC, GAIL India and Oil India Ltd – to shell out Rs 6,500 crore as part of a subsidy-sharing mechanism for the April-June quarter. It will partially make up the revenue loss incurred by the marketing companies for selling auto and cooking fuels below international rates.

The underrecoveries have been calculated assuming an average crude oil price of $75 a barrel for the whole year. Speaking to Business Standard, petroleum secretary S Sundareshan said, “Underrecoveries came to Rs 20,000 crore, of which Rs 6,500 crore comes from the upstream companies. We have written to the ministry of finance to contribute the rest. Discussions will be held to arrive at the final figures.”

On what was the basis of the calculation of underrecoveries, the secretary said they were calculated on the trade parity formula devised by the Rangarajan committee.

Source: Business Standard

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