Govt hikes prices of petrol di

ISLAMABAD: Government has ratcheted up prices of petrol and high speed diesel by Rs1.50 and Rs1.40 a litre respectively with effect from April 1.Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ hosted by senior anchor Hamid Mir, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said although Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had proposed a hike of Rs3.09 in petrol price, the government increased it by just Rs1.50 a litre.He said prices of only petrol and diesel are being raised and no change is being made in the rates of other petroleum products.After the raise of Rs1.50 a litre, the new price of petrol will be Rs64.47 while the price of diesel has been pushed up to Rs72.52 with a raise of Rs1.40 a litre.Dar said OGRA in its summary had asked for Rs5.64 raise in per litre rate of kerosene oil but it has been kept unchanged because it is used by people belonging to low-income group.The prices of High Octane Blending Component (HOBC), light diesel and kerosene oil will remain unchanged for the month of April at Rs72.68, 37.97 and 43.25 a litre.