Indian Oil says rise in fuel sales in 2020 shows signs of economic recovery

Despite disruptions in commercial activities due to the Covid-19 crisis, sales of motor spirit and diesel have increased during 2020, which indicates a revival of the economy, an official of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said on Friday.

During 2020, sales of motor spirit have increased by 108 per cent and diesel by 96 per cent over the previous year, IOC director (marketing) Gurmeet Singh said.

"This shows the healthy signs of an economic revival," he said at an event in Bhubaneswar in the presence of petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

IOC chairman S M Vaidya said domestic LPG demand increased by 10 per cent during the lockdown months in the country.

He said 2020 was a year of digitalisation at the state-run oil marketing company, which had helped it achieve seamless business continuity.

Petroleum and natural gas minister flagged off the dispatch of high-octane premium petrol from the country's oldest refinery at Digboi in Assam to seven cities, including Kolkata.

He also introduced a missed call facility for LPG refill bookings and registering new connections for households.

Currently, the option of registering new connections through the missed call facility is available only in Bhubaneshwar and will soon be rolled out in other parts of the country, IOC official said.

Prasad said the number of LPG connections in the country has reached 30 crore, out of which, 17 crore had been achieved in the last six years.

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