India news: Government cuts excise duties on petrol, diesel

After monsoon rains pushed the Brahmaputra River over its banks in India's northeastern state of Assam last year, 47-year-old Amir Hussen knew one thing — he will need to rebuild his life. Again.

Across India's flood-prone regions, marginalized communities are often hit the hardest by escalating climate-related disasters.

Read more on the stories of Hussen and others displaced by India’s floods

 

It's slimy, green, and alive — and absorbs more CO2 than most trees. Are Kerala's new "liquid trees" a gamechanger in carbon capture and city cleanup? 

Find out in this report:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Balendra Shah on being sworn-in as Nepal's new prime minister.

"Your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples." Modi said on his X account.

At 35, Shah — a rapper-turned politician — is the youngest person to be prime minister of Nepal in decades. 

Shah, who is widely known as Balen, emerged as a key figure during last year's Gen Z-led protests that ousted the previous government of KP Sharma Oli. 

The youth protests — in which 76 people were killed — were driven by anger over corruption, long-standing instability and lack of economic growth in the Himalayan nation. 

Shah is also the first prime minister from the Madhesi community. 

The indigenous community has strong cultural and linguistic similarities to its neighbor India.

Nepal is a small land-locked country wedged between Asian giants India and China.

The political change in Nepal is being watched closely by New Delhi and Beijing — rivals for geopolitical dominance in the region. 

Activists in India are sounding the alarm over the removal of content from social media, especially posts criticizing the government and its Iran war stance.

Read our in-depth story on concerns over censorship in India.

India's national football body has said that the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong slated for next week will go ahead after an embarrassing situation on Thursday involving the Indian men's team and their coach at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi — the venue for the match.

The team and coach Khalid Jamil were denied entry to the stadium over non-payment of a mandatory security deposit.

The players and Jamil were scheduled to hold a press conference at the stadium, which was later cancelled, Indian media reports said. 

The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), that owns the stadium, refused entry to Jamil as he arrived to inspect the pitch and attend the press event. 

The authority's security staff also stopped the Indian team from training, The Times of India reported, adding that the players had to train at another ground 10 kilometers away.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said that, despite the incident, the match on March 31 "will proceed as planned."

"We have full faith that the formalities will be completed by the Kerala Football Association with the local authorities," the body said in a statement published late Thursday. 

"We are confident that all necessary procedures will be completed within the stipulated timeframe," it added.

The national football body was recently in the crosshairs of public criticism after the women's team were sent undersized kits at the Asian Cup earlier in March. The staff had to get local jerseys in Australia.

Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said rumors of a nationwide lockdown over the energy crisis from the Iran war, were  "completely false."

"Let me state this clearly, there is no such proposal under consideration by the Government of India," Puri clarified in a statement on X.

Speculations of potential curbs began surfacing on social media earlier this week. 

How did rumors of a lockdown in India start?

According to Indian media reports, people were searching "India lockdown again" and "lockdown news."

The concerns emerged after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Parliament on Monday, where he alluded to the COVID-19 pandemic while discussing the tensions in the Middle East.

Modi in his speech recounted how global supply chains were impeded during the pandemic as he drew parallels with the current disruptions triggered by the Iran war. 

Puri on Friday said India was "fully prepared" to deal with emerging challenges.

He urged the public to remain calm.

"Attempts to spread rumors and create panic in such a situation are irresponsible and harmful," the minister said.

Indian LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) tanker Jag Vasant docked at a port in the state of Gujarat late Thursday after being stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for nearly 23 days, Indian media reported on Friday. 

Earlier this week, India's Shipping Ministry said that two Indian LPG carriers, including Jag Vasant had successfully transited through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz and were headed to India ports.

Jag Vasant is reported to have 33 seafarers and 47,600 metric tonnes of LPG on board. 

A second LPG tanker Pine Gas, loaded with 45,000 metric tonnes of LPG, is expected to arrive soon at the New Mangalore Port. 

According to the Shipping Ministry, there are now 20 Indian-flagged ships that remain in the war-hit Gulf region, carrying around 540 Indian sailors. 

India is among the five "friendly countries" whose ships Iran has allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz.

India is also the world's second-largest LPG importer. 

The country is facing the economic impacts of the Iran war with LPG shortages and rising prices affecting homes and businesses.

The Indian government has cut special additional duties for petrol and diesel in a respite for oil marketing companies who are struggling with a global oil disruption triggered by the US-Israel war with Iran. 

In a government order on Thursday, the center-imposed excise duty for petrol was brought down to 3 rupees (€0.028, $0.032) per liter from 13 rupees earlier while the duty on diesel was eliminated entirely, down from 10 rupees.

The Iran war and Tehran's consequent chokehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz has upended oil and gas export, sending global crude oil prices soaring.

India has also seen the impact of the volatility in crude prices and oil and gas disruptions.

India is the world's third-biggest oil importer and ​consumer and as per official estimates some 40% of India's energy needs depend on supplies passing through Hormuz. 

India's oil minister said in a statement on Friday that the Indian government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chose to shield its citizens from the steep increase in global crude prices by taking a loss on its own finances.

"The Modi Government had two choices — either increase prices drastically for citizens" or "bear the brunt on its finances so that Indian citizen is insulated from international volatility," Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on X.

Puri said that the government has taken a "huge hit"on its taxation revenues to ensure that the very high losses of oil companies are reduced. 

The reduction in excise duties has left Indians wondering whether fuel prices at petrol stations will get cheaper.

Indian news outlets NDTV and India Today cited industry experts as saying that consumers may not see a cut in fuel retail prices immediately as the reductions will largely be absorbed by oil marketing companies, who have been selling petrol and diesel at a loss.

On Friday, petrol prices across major Indian cities remained mostly unchanged.

This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi. It's Friday morning here and the skies in the capital are overcast. 

But it's not the rain clouds the power corridors in Delhi are concerned about, it's the shadow of the Iran war. 

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting with the chief ministers of Indian states to review their preparedness amid the ongoing Middle East crisis. 

The Indian government has slashed special additional duties on petrol and eliminated those on diesel. The decision comes as the global crude oil prices sky-rocket with the Israel-Iran war causing, what the International Energy Agency has called, the biggest oil disruption in history.

Indians are now asking whether the latest cuts will translate into cheaper fuel prices. 

Stay tuned as we bring you the biggest headlines, on-ground reports and analysis from India today.