Goa budget proposes to reduce petrol price by Rs.11 a litre

Panaji, March 26 (IANS) In a step that will make petrol in Goa the cheapest in India, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Monday proposed a reduction in prices of the fuel by Rs.11 per litre in the state.

Petrol for as cheap as Rs.55 per litre was one of the main promises of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in its election manifesto for the March 3 assembly polls.

Parrikar said that only 0.1 per cent value added tax (VAT) component would be levied by the state government for sake of record.

"I propose to reduce petrol price by Rs.11 per litre to save commuters from inflation," Parrikar said, presenting his first budget after his party came to power in the state/

Once the budget is passed, the price of petrol in Goa would be the cheapest in the country at Rs.55.

Petrol in Goa is presently priced at approximately Rs.66 per litre.

The reduction of petrol price is expected to provide major relief to a large section of the 14 lakh-odd population in Goa, which has one two-wheeler for every three resident citizens. As of 2011, the state had 5.33 lakh two-wheelers registered in the state.

Parrikar also said that in order to lure aviation companies to refuel at the Goa airport, VAT on aviation fuel would be reduced from 22 per cent to 12 per cent.