AIZAWL: In a significant move, the Mizoram government has decided to increase the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 4 per litre each and these revised rates came into effect from September 1.
Taxation Minister Dr Vanlalthlana said the price rise was aimed at uplifting the social infrastructure and maintaining the road infrastructure of the state.
"The government imposed a new levy of Rs 2 per litre on both diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services cess, and an additional Rs 2 per litre for road maintenance," Dr Vanlalthlana informed.
The minister said that the revised rates were implemented from September 1, adding that the decision was taken for the benefit and welfare of the people.
He believes that the Rs 4 per litre hike on fuel would cultivate a sense of ownership among citizens regarding the infrastructural development and maintenance of projects undertaken by the Mizoram government.
Also, he clarified the fact that the current prices of fuel remain lower as compared to the prices in 2021 despite the recent hike in VAT and new cess.
Earlier, the State Resource Mobilisation Committee was assigned with the task of figuring out ways to boost the revenue and this decision aligns with the recommendations put forward by the Committee.
The state government issued a notification recently to inform about its decision of increasing VAT on petrol from 5.23 per cent to 10 per cent and on diesel from 16.36 per cent to 18 per cent.
With the additional levies, the current price of petrol in Aizawl stands at Rs 99.24 per litre while a litre of diesel is now priced at Rs 88.02, up from the previous Rs 93.93 and Rs 82.62 respectively.
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