New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- As the union Budget approaches, fuel prices and cooking gas subsidies have once again emerged as a silent but decisive factor in the public mood, even as official discourse remains cautious on the subject. Any signal on petrol, diesel or LPG pricing has the potential to travel faster than budget documents themselves, for few issues cut as directly into household finances.
Petrol and diesel prices have remained largely unchanged in recent months, yet they continue to hover at levels that influence transport costs, food prices and urban inflation. Economists note that while fuel taxes have helped shore up government revenues in recent years, they have also acted as a regressive burden, disproportionately affecting middl...