Sesa Sen

Despite offering up to Rs 84,084 crore in incentives, the government has again extended bidding deadlines for deepwater exploration blocks, signalling a slow response from potential investors.

Kerala has begun random inspections at petrol pumps to check ethanol content in E20 fuel after Karnataka reported levels of 26% to 31.2% in samples collected from certain retail outlets.

Joshi said the ministry is in consultation with the Agriculture Ministry on PM-KUSUM 2.0, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to extend the scheme with the required changes. He added that the proposal would be placed before the Prime Minister once the modifications are finalised.

Indian oil refiners are facing shipping costs of $12-$20 per barrel, up from $8-$10, as Strait of Hormuz congestion and shipment diversions increase crude transportation expenses and pressure refining margins.

A report by the think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water, suggests that ethanol also carries less energy than petrol, so vehicles running on it burn more fuel to cover the same distance, which pushes ethanol's real cost 15-25% higher than petrol.

The Centre is engaging with private fuel retailers after diesel sales were capped at Jio-BP and Nayara pumps.

Coal supplies have been disrupted by erratic monsoon even as higher electricity consumption has lifted coal burn.

Reddy remarked that India requires good healthcare and infrastructure, along with stressing the need to create more jobs.

Gulf arrivals recovered to 1.18 mb/d in August and reached 1.52 mb/d so far in September, according to Kpler data.

India's Russian crude imports fell in August, but rising unidentified shipments suggest the decline may overstate how much Russian oil has actually left the country's crude mix.

The government is pushing deepwater exploration in India and encouraging both domestic and foreign companies to participate.

Dealers argue that even the Rs 5 charge on eligible transactions could raise costs as fuel retailing operates on prescribed margins.

India has relatively limited direct exposure to the Yanbu route. Saudi supplies averaged about 315,000 barrels a day in August, compared with total Indian crude imports of around 4.7 million barrels a day.

Rising crude oil prices above $100 a barrel are squeezing fuel retailers, with petrol and diesel margins under pressure as domestic pump prices remain unchanged.

Consumers can now place a new LPG refill booking after completing just 25 days from their previous booking.

The official said that existing LPG consumers will continue to be the government's priority.

The Centre is considering expanding the existing mandatory dope-testing requirement from 10% to 100%, as per the Minister of Civil Aviation.

No airline has opted for the ATF price stabilisation scheme yet as fuel prices ease, prompting the government to review it.

The company said the latest order will provide the scale required to build a much larger regional network, with FLY91 poised for exponential expansion to more than 60 aircraft over the coming years.

FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani said that preparations are underway for a crackdown on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms.