New Delhi: Petrol price was hiked by Rs 2.20 per litre from midnight tonight (Nov 4, 2004) and diesel by Rs 2.10 a litre but kerosene remained untouched.

LPG price was also increased by Rs 20 per cylinder from and by Rs 5 per cylinder every month thereafter until the Rs 158 per cylinder under-recovery is wiped out, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said after the decisions by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in New Delhi.

Aiyar said petrol will be charged at import parity level and diesel at half the imported cost.

Petrol price of Rs 36.81 a litre in Delhi is currently Rs 2.20 per litre short of import parity. Similarly, diesel at Rs 24.16 is under priced by Rs 4.20 a litre.

The Petroleum Minister said LPG price of Rs 261 per cylinder (in Delhi) was still short of under-recovery Rs 158 a cylinder a cost and its price is being raised by Rs 20 immediately and by Rs 5 per month thereafter.

Aiyar said the CCEA, to which Railway Minister Laloo Prasad, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee were specially called for, did not cut duties on crude oil and petroleum products.