Arun Jaitley held a press conference today in which he announced that the Central government has decreased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.5. Oil marketing companies are expected to also cut prices by Re 1 and states by another Rs 2.5.
Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day visit in which he is supposed to oversee the signing of the S-400 air defence systems deal. Vinod Dua discusses whether the fuel price cut is substantial and what signing the deal with Russia means for India’s sovereignty.