70% of diesel consumed in transport sector, 13% in agriculture: study

dieselTransport sector accounted for 70 per cent of 69.08 million tonne diesel consumed in India in 2012-13, while agriculture sector consumed just 13 per cent of the fuel, a newly published study revealed.

According to the study conducted by Nielsen (India) Private Limited for the Petroleum Ministry's Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), private cars consumed 13.15 per cent of the diesel consumed last year, while commercial vehicles and three-wheelers consumed another 8.94 per cent and 6.39 per cent of the fuel, respectively.

While industries and electricity generators collectively accounted for nearly 9 per cent of the diesel consumed last year, mobile towers consumed 1.54 per cent. However, commercial vehicles like trucks constituted the biggest consumer-base of diesel, with 28.25 per cent share of the total diesel pie.

The total subsidy on diesel last year was Rs 92,061 crore, which represents 57.2 per cent of the country's total fuel subsidy.

Based on the diesel's sector-wise consumption pattern, nearly Rs 12,100 crore of the oil companies' total under recovery of Rs 92,061 crore from diesel went as subsidy to owners of private cars and SUVs; nearly Rs 8,200 crore went to commercial cars and utility vehicles; around Rs 26,000 crore went to HCV/LCV; while just Rs 12,000 crore went to the agriculture sector.

The study also revealed that 99.6 per cent of petrol was consumed in the transport sector alone last year.