In keeping with the Assam Peace Accord, the government had decided to keep Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in the public sector. As part of this, BPCL was to sell its entire 61.65 per cent stake to state-owned firms.
Also, jet fuel prices were hiked by a steep 6.5 per cent on the back of a rally in international oil prices. A 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi now costs Rs 819 as against Rs 794 at which they were supplied on Sunday. The increase is applicable across all categories, including subsidised and non-subsidised users.
The ministry was responding to a study carried out by a private US company which suggested that a China-linked group targeted India's power grid system through malware, a software designed to cause damage to a computer network.
February data cover sales by state-run oil retailers, which control about 90% of the domestic fuel retail market. The demand for jet fuel was 40.6% lower while that for cooking gas grew 7.6%, as per state company executives.