Kalaburagi, 6 March

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday slammed the Centre for the Rs 60 increase in the domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder, saying that the central government "always puts the burden" on the general public.

"The Central government always puts all the burden on the common man," he said.

Earlier, Congress MP from Davanagere, Prabha Mallikarjun, also expressed concern over the recent hike in the price of LPG cylinders, saying, "I think the Government of India should think about it because every middle-class house, poor class, every class requires LPG cylinders.

The government itself had started an initiative where LPG cylinders were given at a subsidy. So now, I don't know, this is going to be an additional burden to all."

The hike to the LPGs comes amid the war in West Asia, which has severely impacted oil and fuel prices.

After the increase, 14.2 kg of LPG costs about Rs 913 in New Delhi compared with around Rs 1,046 in Pakistan, Rs 1,241 in Sri Lanka, and Rs 1,207 in Nepal.

The increase comes amid discussions around India's energy supply and fuel availability. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri earlier assured that there is no shortage of energy in the country and that consumers need not worry about supply disruptions.