New Delhi: Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday in the Lok Sabha that in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, petrol prices in India have gone up by merely five per cent as against over 50 per cent in some of the developed countries. Intervening in the short duration discussion in the Upper House on ‘Situation in Ukraine’, the petroleum minister rejected the Opposition’s charge that ‘Operation Ganga’ was ‘operation transport’ and not ‘operation evacuation’.
The petroleum minister was one of the special envoys sent to countries bordering Ukraine to coordinate evacuation of Indians from the war-torn nation. Puri said the Indian government did organise buses in Ukraine to transport stranded students to bordering countries in the last stages of ‘Operation Ganga’ and that cannot be dismissed as ‘operation transport’.
Also read: Operation Ganga: India expresses gratitude to Russia, Ukraine, Red Cross
Referring to rising petrol prices, the minister said, “We are not the only country impacted by the war. The Russia-Ukraine war has affected the entire world,” Puri said.
Citing figures, the minister said the increase in prices of petrol was very low in India as compared to developed and other developing nations in the aftermath of the war. He pointed out that petrol prices have gone up by over 50 per cent in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Sri Lanka. In case of India the increase worked out to be only five per cent, he pointed out.
Puri also informed that the price of natural gas has shot up several times in the international market after the outbreak of the war.
The petroleum minister also refuted the Opposition’s allegation that the advisory issued by the Indian mission to the students before the outbreak of the actual war was not clear and was ambiguous. He asserted the advisory was very clear and advised the Indian students to leave the country. About 4,000 students actually left Ukraine before the outbreak of the war, Puri stated.
