The Union government has cut the special additional excise duty on petrol ⁠to Rs 3 per litre from Rs 13 per litre, and on diesel to zero from Rs 10. This is expected to help oil marketing companies keep petrol and diesel prices stable.

Fuel marketing companies in the country have been under strain as retail petrol and diesel prices remain frozen despite a nearly 50% surge in international oil prices since the conflict began in West Asia on February 28.

While excise rates on petrol and diesel have been cut, the Centre has also decided to levy duties of Rs 21.5 per litre on exports of diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on exports of aviation turbine fuel. This is aimed at ensuring the availability of these products for domestic consumption, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. Read on.

Interview: How the war in West Asia could change India’s energy calculus

The Union government increased the commercial allocation of liquefied petroleum gas to 70% of pre-West Asia conflict levels, up from 50%. This additional supply of non-domestic LPG is intended to support industries such as steel, automobiles and textiles, Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal told all states and Union Territories.

“Among these, priority shall be given to process industries or those requiring LPG for specialised heating purposes that cannot be substituted by Natural Gas,” added Mittal.

Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed rumours of a lockdown in India due to the ongoing conflict. Read on.

Why the LPG crisis is reviving pandemic fears among migrant workers, reports Anant Gupta

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister. He is the youngest person to hold the post in decades.

Shah, better known as Balen, was sworn in a day after he released his first public statement since winning the elections, via a rap song called Jay Mahakaali.

The former Kathmandu mayor became prime minister after his Rastriya Swatantra Party won 182 out of 275 seats in the March 5 election. Read on.

After Nepal’s Gen Z uprising, the country’s communists face a crisis of relevance, writes Shreya Paudel

The Indian rupee fell to a record low of 94.82 against the United States dollar amid the conflict in West Asia. The rupee had opened at 94.18 in the interbank foreign exchange market and slumped 86 paise as foreign fund outflows continued and domestic equity markets weakened.

The benchmark Sensex fell 2.25% while the Nifty declined 2.09% on Friday. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading at $109.8 per barrel, up 0.53% in futures trade. Read on.

A group of opposition MPs has urged the Union government to direct the Central Board of Film Certification to examine the film The Voice of Hind Rajab “strictly in accordance with constitutional principles governing freedom of expression”. They called for the film to be granted certification.

The letter, dated March 24, came after media reports said that the film’s release had been blocked owing to fears that it will “break up” ties between India and Israel.

The Oscar-nominated film depicts the real story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped inside a car attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza and later found dead. Read on.

Why the voice of Hind Rajab needs to be heard, explains Nandini Ramnath

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