Nima Wangdi

Finance Minister Namgay Tshering took to BBS television yesterday to clarify that the government had nothing to do with the recent fuel price spike.

His clarification came after the former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, in a video clip circulating on social media, said that the government should not increase fuel prices to hike civil servants’ pay.

The former PM also said that the increased fuel price would impact those in the rural areas the most as they have to travel hours to gewog centres. “From a village to dzongkhag took even half a day on average,” he said.

The finance minister said he had not actually watched the video clip but the former PM’s concern about the government increasing fuel price to give pay hike to the civil servants is untrue.

The government so far has not discussed anything on fuel price, he said. “The fuel price increased because of the limited production at the source.”

Lyonpo said, in India, fuel price fluctuation happens almost every day. “Price fluctuations here happen only twice a month, on the first day or on 15, following the memorandum that we have signed with India.”

Meanwhile, the price of diesel dropped by around more than Nu 7 and the petrol price by Nu 3 since midnight yesterday.