Vaccines keep children alive and healthy by protecting them against disease. Yet in 2016, an estimated 1.4 million children under five died from vaccine-preventable diseases. Approximately one-fourth of deaths among children under 5 were from¬ pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, and could have been mostly prevented by vaccines. Globally 1 in 7 children – over 19 million – missed out on routine vaccines, including 13 million who have never been vaccinated, putting them and their communities at risk of disease and death. Low immunization coverage compromises gains in all other areas of health for mothers and children. The poorest, most vulnerable children who need immunization the most continue to be the least likely to get it.

UNICEF and its partners are working to ensure that the lives of all children are protected. But, if vaccination is not prioritized, some of the most marginalized children will miss out on their right to benefit from immunization, which could mean the difference between life and death.

Despite these challenges, vaccines are protecting more children than ever before. Behind their phenomenal success lies the hard work of health workers who go from village-to-village to vaccinate children, even though they encounter fear and suspicion. 
 
“Last year, it is estimated that vaccines saved the lives of as many as 3 million children. That’s 3 million future doctors, teachers, artists, community leaders, mothers and fathers alive today thanks to millions of frontline health workers who walk for hundreds of miles to remote locations, through jungles and across seas to reach every child,” said Robin Nandy, UNICEF’s Chief of Immunization. “We continue to work with governments on the ground, including in places affected by conflict, in support of these unsung heroes who take on this extremely dangerous work to save lives.”

Twelve key facts on vaccines today

1. Two-thirds of unvaccinated children live in fragile countries or those affected by conflict. Between 2010 and 2016, Syria saw the sharpest decline in vaccinated children, with coverage* falling by 38 percentage points over this period. Second is Ukraine where coverage decreased by 33 percentage points. 

2. A number of countries have seen a significant increase in the number of vaccinated children since 2010, driving most of the gains in immunization coverage this decade, including India, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, Philippines, Mexico, United Republic of Tanzania, Vietnam, Turkey and Sudan. In India, the number of unvaccinated children** reduced by 45 per cent, from 5.3 million in 2010 to 2.9 million in 2016.

3. As of 2016, six countries accounted for half of the world’s unimmunized children*: Nigeria (18%); India (15%); Pakistan (7%); Indonesia (5%); Ethiopia (4%); and Democratic Republic of the Congo (3%). 

4. The top 10 countries where vaccination coverage*, in percentage points, has increased between 2010 and 2016 are Palau (29%), Malta (21%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (19%), Comoros (17%), Azerbaijan (16%), Ethiopia (16%), Timor-Leste (13%), Barbados (11%), Costa Rica (9%) and India (9%).

5. In 2017, Yemen witnessed one of the worst cholera epidemics on record with over a million suspected cases, almost 29 per cent of them among are children under five. Around 5.2 million people received two doses of the oral cholera vaccine in South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Philippines, Nigeria, Chad, Haiti, Cameroon, Zambia and Bangladesh during cholera outbreaks or as part of preventive campaigns.

6. Diphtheria, a disease that is only rarely seen thanks to immunization, is making a come-back. In response to an outbreak among Rohingya refugees – in which three out of four people affected were children – UNICEF supported several large vaccination campaigns in southern Bangladesh, reaching close to half a million children.

7. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio a year. Since then, over 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated against the disease. Today, the world is closer than ever to eradicating polio, with only 22 cases in two countries last year. More than 400 million children will be vaccinated this year.

8. The lives of an estimated 20 million children have been saved through measles immunization between 2000 and 2016.

9. A billion people will be vaccinated against Yellow fever in Africa by 2026 – almost half of them children under 15 years of age. Since 2001, the 

production of the yellow fever vaccine has quadrupled from 20 million to 80 million doses annually, and is expected to increase in the coming years.

10. As of 2016, an estimated 86 per cent of children less than one year of age were fully vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, compared to 52 per cent some 30 years ago.

11. In 2017, UNICEF procured 2.4 billion vaccine doses worth $1.3 billion, reaching 45 per cent of the world’s children.

12. Thanks to vaccines, maternal and neonatal tetanus, which is extremely deadly amongst newborns, has been eliminated in all but 15 countries. Ethiopia, Haiti and Philippines eliminated the disease in 2017. 

The Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils will come up against each other for the first time in Match 30 of VIVO IPL 2018. 

Chennai Super Kings have been a dominating team in 2018 Indian Premier League. They have a chance to move to the top of the points table IPL 2018 on Monday with a win over Delhi Daredevils in Pune. CSK will host DD at the their new home ground and will look to return to winning ways after suffering a loss in the previous game against Mumbai Indians at the same ground. Ricky Ponting-coached Delhi, now at the bottom of the table with just two wins out of seven games, however need to continue their winning spree to keep themselves in the hunt for the play-offs. CSK, on the other hand, are still on top on the points table but their confidence suffered a blow last night against another struggling outfit in defending champions Mumbai Indians.. After initially lacking the fighting spirit, Delhi gave a strong performance under new captain Shreyas Iyer and beat Kolkata Knight Riders. Catch IPL 2018 Live Score CSK vs DD from Pune.

Delhi Daredevils have a new captain in Shreyas Iyer after Gautam Gambhir resigned midway due to the bad performance of the team. Delhi showed fire in them against Kolkata. But, CSK is a completely different team with MS Dhoni as the captain. 

CSK sit in the top half of the standings with five wins and two losses. In their most recent outing – on Saturday night, they lost a close one to the Mumbai Indians. Batting first, CSK posted 169-5, which MI chased down in the last over. The CSK innings did not have the momentum that one usually expects to see in a 20-over contest; the start was slow, and there were periods of quiet in the middle of the innings too. In his chat at the post-match presentation, the CSK captain MS Dhoni admitted that his team were about 15-20 runs short, and that cost them the match. CSK will take confidence from the fact that they could still compete, even after losing one of their frontline bowlers (Deepak Chahar). CSK will be mindful that if only they had executed the one percenters better, the outcome of the game could have been different. 

The Delhi Daredevils were the first team to hit the reset button midway through the season. After Gautam Gambhir decided to step down and Shreyas Iyer was given the commands of the team, the results showed instantly. In their previous match – Shreyas’ first as captain – DD posted the highest total of the season and then applied the squeeze on the visiting Kolkata Knight Riders to win by 55 runs. That win lifted the Daredevils from the bottom of the table, and they will be keen to build on that momentum and string together a series of wins. 

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf Du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, K M Asif, Kanish Seth, Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshtiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan, David Willy.

Delhi Daredevils: Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Daniel Christian, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Trent Boult, Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane, Naman Ojha, Sayan Ghosh, Liam Plunkett, Junior Dala.

More than 61 per cent of the world’s employed population – two billion people – earn their livelihoods in the informal sector, the United Nations labour agency said on Monday, stressing that a transition to the formal economy is critical to ensure rights’ protection and decent working conditions.

“The high incidence of informality in all its forms has multiple adverse consequences for workers, enterprises and societies and is a major challenge for the realization of decent work for all,” said Rafael Diez de Medina, the Director of Department of Statistics at the UN International Labour Organization (ILO).

The findings are revealed in ILO’s latest report, Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical picture. The study also provides comparable estimates on the size of the informal economy and a statistical profile of the sector, using criteria from more than 100 countries.

“Having managed to measure this important dimension, now included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators framework, this can be seen as an excellent step towards acting on it, particularly thanks to more available comparable data from countries,” added Mr. Diez de Medina.

The geographic distribution of employment in the informal sector presents a striking picture.

In Africa, 85.8 per cent of employment is informal. The proportion is 68.2 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, 68.6 per cent in the Arab States, 40 per cent in the Americas, and just over 25 per cent in Europe and Central Asia.

In all, 93 per cent of the world’s informal employment is in emerging and developing countries.

The report also found that informal employment is a greater source of employment for men (63 per cent) than for women (58.1 per cent).

“Out of the two billion workers in informal employment worldwide, just over 740 million are women,” said ILO, noting that they are mostly in informal employment in most low- and lower-middle income countries and are more often found to be the most vulnerable.

Factors affecting level of informality

Education is a major factor affecting the level of informality, the study has shown, noting that as the level of education increases, the level of informality decreases.

“People who have completed secondary and tertiary education are less likely to be in informal employment compared to workers who have either no education or completed primary education,” said ILO.

In addition, people living in rural areas are almost twice as likely to be in informal employment as those in urban areas, it added.

According to Florence Bonnet, one of the authors of the report, data on these issues are crucial to design effective policies.

“For hundreds of millions of workers, informality means a lack of social protection, rights at work and decent working conditions, and for enterprises it means low productivity and lack of access to finance,” she said.

New Delhi : The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) in association with Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has launched the Swachh Bharat Summer Internship – a novel and first of its kind initiative.

The internship period begins from tomorrow, May 1, 2018 and ends on July 31, 2018. The programme aims to engage millions of youngsters across the country, toencourage them to contribute to the Swachh Bharat Mission as a mass movement.

The Prime Minister in his address, Mann Ki Baat, had called upon the youth to avail the benefits of the Internship and take forward the cleanliness movement.

Students can sign up for the Swachh Bharat Summer Internship by logging on to the portal www.sbsi.mygov.in which has already gone live. Besides students from college and Universities, youth from NYKS can also register for the internship.  Nodal officers at college level will coordinate the implementation of the internship.

Under the internship, all interns who complete at least 100 hours of sanitation related work in villages would be given a Swachh Bharat certificate. Those who complete the internship with additional, specified outputs would also gain 2 curriculum credits specially allowed by UGC. Additionally, top performers would receive awards at the College and University / District (NYKS), State and National Level.

The HRD Ministry has already issued relevant instructions to college and University levels. States have been asked to facilitate the students as they fan out to villages to take up various Swachhata activities including shramdan and awareness campaigns during the internship. The period for taking up the internship has been kept as a minimum of 100 hours any time from May 1. 2018 to July 31, 2018. The last date for registration is May 15.

Every two minutes, a child dies of malaria. Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease that remains, in many regions of the world, a major public health problem . Ninety-one countries currently experience ongoing malaria transmission. Almost half the world’s population – about 3.2 billion people – are at risk of malaria. In 2016 alone, 216 million new cases of malaria were reported, and approximately 445,000 people died of the disease – most of them children.

Progress on global malaria control is slipping. The global community was alerted in November 2017 that malaria cases are on the increase. UNICEF is working closely with WHO and other partners to achieve a world free of malaria, ensuring that those most vulnerable to malaria receive the preventive and curative interventions they need to stay healthy.

“Every two minutes, a child dies of malaria,” said Stefan Swartling Peterson, UNICEF Chief of Health. “Worse yet, after years of progress the most recent year-on-year trend is pointing in the wrong direction. Renewed political commitment and funding is a must if we are going to beat malaria. Far too many children’s lives are at stake.”

Ten key facts on malaria

1. Among all communicable diseases, malaria is the third largest killer of children between the ages of one month and five years, following pneumonia and diarrhea.

2. Nearly 300,000 children under the age of five die of malaria died in 2016 equivalent to nearly 800 young lives lost each day.

3. In the years between 2000 and 2015, the mortality rate for malaria fell by 60% and the number of malaria cases dropped by 37% globally. During those 15 years, 6.2 million deaths were averted, including the deaths of 5.9 million children under five. 

4. Progress on malaria is beginning to show signs of stagnation.  In 2016, 91 countries reported a combined total of 216 million malaria cases – 5 million more than in 2015. Rwanda and Nigeria together saw an increase of over 1.5 million cases, while DRC recorded an additional 500,000 cases in 2015-2016.

5. An estimated 90 per cent of malaria deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 407,000 deaths in 2016.

6. Malaria preys upon the vulnerable: children under five years of age, the poorest and most marginalized, pregnant women and their unborn children. Malaria in pregnancy contributes significantly to deaths of mothers and young children, with an estimated tally of at least 10,000 women and 200,000 infants under one year old.

7. Four out of five malaria deaths occur in one of 15 countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Mozambique, Ghana, Angola, Uganda, Mali, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Niger, Guinea and Chad. More than one in three malaria deaths occur in two countries: Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNICEF has a country office in all of these countries. 

8. Sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) is the most common and most effective way to prevent malaria infection. In 2016, an estimated 54% of people at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa slept under an ITN compared to 30% in 2010. However, the rate of increase in ITN coverage has slowed since 2014. Less than half of households in sub-Saharan Africa have enough nets for all occupants.

9. In the last ten years, UNICEF has procured and helped distribute nearly 268 million insecticide-treated bed nets in more than 30 countries worldwide.

10. Countries that have achieved at least 3 consecutive years with no local cases of malaria are eligible to apply for certification of malaria elimination. In the last decade, six countries have been certified as having eliminated malaria: Morocco (2010), Turkmenistan (2010), Armenia (2011), Maldives (2015), Sri Lanka (2016) and Kyrgyzstan (2016). In the previous two decades, there was one United Arab Emirates (2007). 

Wuhan : The Informal Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping began in this picturesque Chinese city on Friday. 

“The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting during which they exchanged views on solidifying our bilateral relationship,’’ External Affairs Ministry’s official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. The informal summit began at the East Lake guesthouse in China’s Wuhan city. The two leaders will review the developments in India-China bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. 

Prime Minister Modi was warmly welcomed by Chinese President Xi on his arrival at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan with an impressive cultural performance.  Cultural connections between the two neighbouring nations date back to many centuries. In the present times, Bollywood and Yoga have become popular in China. 

Bilateral ties between the two countries went through a rough patch in the aftermath of the two-month long Doklam standoff. 

The two leaders also visited an exhibition of Marquis Yi of Zeng Cultural Relics and Treasure (Hubei Provincial Museum). “When I was Gujarat CM, I had opportunity to visit this Province. I had heard lot about Three Gorges Dam. Speed with which you constructed it& scale inspired me. So I came on study tour,spent a day at dam,” Prime Minister Modi told President Xi. He also said that culture of both India and China is based along the river banks, if we talk about Mohenjo Daro and Harappa civilizations in India, all the development happened along river banks.

Later, the two leaders are likely to go for a walk around the guesthouse.

President Xi would also host a dinner for Mr. Modi in the East Guest Lake House.

Ahead of Mr. Modi’s visit to Wuhan, China Daily newspaper quoted from a recent article written by China’s Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui in which he said, “Both countries are at a critical stage of economic development and modernisation”, and admitted that “it is natural for neighbours to have differences (and) that when differences can’t be solved for now, we should properly manage them and focus on cooperation.”

Another prominent daily Global Times gave the headline “Informal Modi-Xi meeting heralds a new chapter in Sino-Indian relations”.

China’s official news agency Xinhua reported that the, “Tete-e-tete between the two leaders is going to set the stage for Beijing and New Delhi to further exchange views over (the) long-term and strategic issues and to initiate fresh momentum for future bilateral cooperation.”disagreements under guidance of mutual common sense of both leaders. 

Cooper Corporation & Onco-Life, a Cancer Centre, Shendre, Satara took an initiative and organized a health drive camp, focusing on cervical cancer and breast cancer detection. This camp did include Full Body check-up, oral examination, Mammography, Papsmear & sonography. In this camp out of 1500 women 14% were detected by breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Cooper corporation has been funding this camp since past 3 years, this year being the largest camp. It was well initiated by Ms. Manisha Cooper & whole heartedly supported by Mr. Farrokh Cooper. Ms. Manisha Cooper personally was present during almost all days of the camp to ensure it went on smoothly.

The incidence of breast cancer is increasing. It occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men. Sedentary lifestyle makes one obese and around 60% of those patients with breast cancer are obese. Community-based educational intervention suggests being very productive in clinical breast examination by trained personnel like female health workers.

The development of cervical cancer is due to the first intercourse at early age and multiple sex partners. It is necessary that woman should watch out for symptoms like abnormal bleeding, unusual heavy discharge, pelvic pain, pain during urination and unexpected bleeding as the possible signs for cervical cancer diagnosis.

Mr. Uday Shivajirao Deshmukh said, “Most women are at risk of developing breast cancer.   In this camp 30 years and above women were screened and we found breast lump in various women. Most of the cervical cancer detected in Pap smear was due to lack of hygiene.  When it comes to treatment post diagnosing it, we are providing MJPJAY , CM FUND and Shiddhivinayak Funds and also in our Hospital cashless/ Mediclaim Facilities are available . So Women should be made aware of the benefits of undergoing regular cervical screening tests. Â”

 Â“Women at 65 and above years of age should definitely undergo screening, if they haven’t been screened since the age of 50 years or if they recently had abnormal tests. As the risk of cervical cancer is very low in women who have never had sex & maintain hygiene, women in this category may opt not to have cervical screening.” elaborates Mr. Deshmukh.

“Last year we carried out screening for 1317 women in which 9% were at risk of breast cancer and cervical cancer. Many a times patient who come for a Pap smear test do not come back if the results are positive. As a part of cervical cancer prevention, there is an urgent need for massive awareness program to motivate women to get screened and to enlist the cooperation of their extended family.”

UNICEF has launched an online version of the ‘Critical Appraisal Skills’ (CAS) course for health journalists. This course is conceptualized in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation, Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Oxford University. The course is available for entry and mid-level health reporters and aims to enhance the capacities of media representatives to generate factual and non-sensational reports.

The course was launched to mark the World Immunisation Week.

In a press release issued here, UNICEF said evidence shows that a well-researched news story, underpinned with an evidence-based approach can help mitigate any adverse perception about large scale public health initiatives such as the Routine Immunization programmes. It also helps dispel myths and fears and ensures pro-active public participation. This becomes catalytic for the success of large scale health initiatives.

In January 2018, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication integrated the course as a module within all the eight communication streams that it presently teaches.

Quoting K.G Suresh, Director General, IIMC, the press release said, “The course provides a specialized set of skills and competencies to the journalism students and enables them to research and analyze health-related information for credibility and relevance thereby improving the accuracy in reporting.”

India has one of the largest immunization programmes in the world, in terms of the number of beneficiaries, geographical coverage and quantities of vaccine used, with nearly 26 million newborns targeted for immunization annually. Over nine million immunization sessions are held across the country to achieve this. However, only 62 per cent of the children in India receive full immunization during the first year of their life.

Nicolas Ballet, Director, Journalism and Media Programmes, Thomson Reuters Foundation said, “With this initiative, we are training Indian journalists to apply the Reuters principles of accuracy and impartiality to their reporting on immunization and mother and child health. The media plays an essential role in shaping the conversation, and we hope to inspire a new generation of journalists to take on this issue and shine a light on topics at the heart of social and economic development.”

Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative in India said, “Media is one of our key partners. This course will be an opportunity for health journalists across the country to add a critical dimension of evidence in their reporting and support in disseminating credible messages on the value of vaccines and how immunization saves the lives of millions of girls and boys.” 

The free online course is launched in the backdrop of UNICEF’s ‘Every Child, Alive’ campaign which focuses on reducing newborn mortality, ensuring that every child is alive and healthy in the days, weeks and months after birth.

As per Census 2011, 31.16 % population lives in Indian cities. Children (0-18 years) account for 34% of the total urban population of which 52.7%) are boys and 47.3% are girls. Many of these boys and girls, who will be contributing to shaping the future of cities, are currently living in slums. Of the total urban households, 17.4% are slum households (Census 2011) and this number is forecast to rise over the coming years.  The urban poverty level is about 13.7% in 2011-12 (Planning Commission). At present, the slums are reported in 63% of the 4,041 statutory towns.

Different research indicates that there is inequality in the coverage of basic services in urban India. These inequalities make it difficult for children esp. from deprived families to compete with same cohort living in non-slum households.  Such children are facing basic survival challenges starting from their birth when some of them are being delivered by untrained birth attendants at home; followed by other basic development and protection issues. Girls and boys, of any background, in cities are facing many complex issues with respect to their physical, emotional and mental well-being. Children have to face not just a rise in crimes against them but also challenges such as unfriendly roads, lack of playing spaces, unsafe public places etc. Also, having no representation in interventions meant for them (or where decisions for them are mainly made by adults) makes things difficult for them and their parents to cope in this challenging and competitive environment.

The Indian government has launched various urban development schemes and missions to address some of the issues which urban children are facing in cities daily. The sch(emes and mission such as AMRUT, HRIDAY, NULM, PMAY–Urban, NUHM, GUTS, Swachh Bharat and Smart City Mission are designed to help boost the urban development and to contribute towards improving the quality of life for urban dwellers. It may also help address some of the specific challenges which children are facing in this rapidly urbanizing India.

The Government has already taken note of the Sustainable Development Goals commitments and has aligned its planning framework to the targets given under them. India is also signatory to the UNCRC and other global agendas which reflect the Governments intent to make life better and healthier for children.

While the intent of the government is in place, it must now focus on child- friendly urban planning through its policies.  The proposed National Urban Policy (NUP) framework must focus on urban planning and design processes and their implementation in such a way that it will ensure child-friendly smart and resilient cities. This framework will also ensure children’s engagement during the policy implementation at the ground and should take into account their perspectives and views. This will allow children, who are disconnected at present, to understand the basics of urban planning and designing but also make them contribute effectively towards shaping child-friendly, smart and resilient cities for their predecessors.  There are lots of examples where children have given effective ideas on traffic management to making of a mobile app to encourage cab sharing for the smooth functioning of cities in India.

Child-participation in urban planning and design process is not a new concept; there are cities that are engaging children not only in the planning but also in the budgeting exercises. In South Asia, Dhaka city authorities along with Bangladesh Institute of Planners are engaging with children towards child-sensitive urban planning; Bhubaneswar is the first city in India to focus on child-friendly city; In Latin America, several municipalities are engaging with children through their Mayor’s office for planning child-friendly infrastructure and services; similarly in Boston, the Mayor took the initiative of empowering youth (age 12 to 25) to be part of the civic affairs of city government through participatory budgeting. It became the first American city in which youth have been empowered to decide on a portion of their city’s capital budget. The above examples of children engagement in city planning processes will not only empower them but indicates they can affect change in their communities. These activities inculcate civil engagement, making them sensitive about their city and educate them about the democratic processes.

These children, who have been involved in these processes if groomed and raised in adherence to their rights, will bring sustainable growth and development, not only for their cities but for the entire country.

Thus, it is an opportune movement to have a NUP framework that should consider children as active agents of change and encourage their participation for city improvement and development processes.

(Authors: Manish Thakre and Manabendranath Ray are, respectively, Senior Manager and Urban Convener, Urban Strategy Initiative at Save the Children. Views expressed are personal.)

Over the last few days, the retail prices of petrol and diesel have touched an all-time high.  In Delhi, petrol was selling at 74.6/litre on April 25, 2018, while diesel was at 66/litre.

Petroleum products are used as raw materials in various sectors and industries such as transport and petrochemicals.  These products may also be used in factories to operate machinery or generators.  Any fluctuation in the price of petrol and diesel impacts the production and transport costs of various items.  When compared to other neighbouring countries, India has the highest prices for petrol and diesel.

How is the price of petrol and diesel fixed?

Historically, the price of petrol and diesel in India was regulated, i.e. the government was involved in the deciding the retail price.  The government deregulated the pricing of petrol in 2010 and diesel in 2014.  This allowed oil marketing companies to determine the price of these products, and revise them every fortnight.

Starting June 16, 2017, prices for petrol and diesel are revised on a daily basis.  This was done to with the idea that daily revision will reduce the volatility in retail prices, and protect the consumer against sharp fluctuations.  The break-up of retail prices of petrol and diesel in Delhi on April 25, 2018 can be found below.  As seen in the table, over 50% of the retail price of petrol comprises central and states taxes and the dealer’s commission.  In case of diesel, this amount is close to 40%.

Does India produce enough petroleum to support domestic consumption?

India imports 84% of the petroleum products consumed in the country.  This implies that any change in the global prices of crude oil has a significant impact on the domestic price of petroleum products.  In 2000-01, net import of petroleum products constituted 75% of the total consumption in the country.  This increased to 95% in 2016-17.  The figure below shows the amount of petroleum products consumed in the country, and the share of imports.

What has been the global trend in crude oil prices? How has this impacted prices in India?

Over the last five years, the global price of crude oil (Indian basket) has come down from USD 110 in January 2013 to USD 64 in March 2018, having touched a low of USD 28 in January 2016.

While there has been a 42% drop in the price of global crude over this five-period, the retail price of petrol in India has increased by 8%.  During this period, the retail price of diesel increased by 33%. 

How has the excise duty on petrol and diesel changed over the last few years?

Under the Constitution, the central government has the powers to tax the production of petroleum products, while states have the power to tax their sale.  Petroleum has been kept outside the purview of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), till the GST Council decides.

Over the years, the central government has used taxes to prevent sharp fluctuations in the retail price of diesel and petrol.  In the past, when global crude oil prices have increased, duties have been cut.  Since 2014, as global crude oil prices declined, excise duties have been increased.

As a consequence of the increase in duties, the central government’s revenue from excise on petrol and diesel increased annually at a rate of 46% between 2013-14 and 2016-17.  During the same period, the total sales tax collections of states (from petrol and diesel) increased annually by 9%.  

(Source – http://www.prsindia.org/theprsblog/)