NEW DELHI: When it comes to the purchasing power of currencies in their domestic market, the per litre cost of LPG in India is the world’s highest, the price of petrol the third-highest and diesel the world’s eighth most expensive.
Arguments for the price rise include external conditions, higher prices in other countries and a higher increase in prices elsewhere. Why then do energy prices seem to be pinching us more? Because price comparisons at the nominal exchange rate (the rate at which currencies are traded in the international market) conceal the fact that different currencies have different purchasing powers in their own markets. Also, income levels are so widely different across countries that a litre of petrol is just a fraction of the daily income for an average Westerner, one-fourth of daily income for an average Indian and more than the average daily income in Burundi. Understandably the impact of the price rise varies significantly.

How did we reach these numbers? The price of petrol at Rs 120 per litre translates into $1.58 at the nominal exchange rate of Rs 75.84 per dollar. However, a dollar can actually buy a lot less in the American market than Rs 75.84 can in India. For instance, the average price of a kilo of potato was $1.94 in March in the US (globalproductprices.com). Converted at the nominal exchange rate, this translates into Rs 147, which could buy more than 7 kilos of potatoes in March in India (prices of ministry of consumer affairs).
That’s why a fairer comparison of domestic prices in different countries is by using what economists call the PPP dollar or international dollar, which takes account of how much each currency can buy in its own market. According to IMF, the PPP or international dollar has averaged Rs 22.6 in 2022 and not Rs 75.84.
Converting the price of petrol in international dollars according to IMF’s estimates, the comparable price of petrol in India works out at 5.2 international dollars per litre, the world’s third-highest after Sudan (Int $8) and Laos (Int $5.6) among 157 countries for which price data (globalpetrolprices.com), as well as IMF’s PPP conversion rates are available. The only other country to have a price higher than Int $5 is Albania. In the West, the price ranges from Int $1.2 in the US and Int $1.5 in Japan to Int $2.5 in Germany and Int $2.7 in Spain, all much lower than the price in India.
For LPG, the prices are available for 54 countries and among them, prices in India at Int $3.5 a litre are the world’s highest. India is followed by Turkey, Fiji, Moldova and Ukraine. In comparison, in Switzerland, France, Canada and the United Kingdom, LPG is priced at about Int $1 per litre.
For diesel, data is available for 156 countries and the price in India at Int $4.6 is the world’s eighth highest. The price at Int $7.7 is the highest in Sudan followed by Albania, Turkey, Myanmar, Georgia, Bhutan and Laos, a list that doesn’t include any major world economy. Diesel prices also follow the same trend as petrol and are far lower in the West than in South Asia and Africa.
Prices apart, affordability is a key factor that determines how much it pinches. A higher price has a much lower impact on an individual’s pockets in a high income country than in a low-income country. So, we compared the prices of a litre of petrol, diesel and LPG with the IMF’s estimate of a country’s GDP per capita at a daily level. Petrol prices range from 0.6% of the daily income of an average American to 2.2% of the daily income of an average person in Spain. On the other hand, they are 23.5% of the daily income of an average Indian, 23.8% for an average Pakistani, 38.2% for an average Nepali and a staggering 181.8% for an average person in Burundi. Diesel and LPG also show a similar trend (see graphic).

NEW DELHI: India was among the 58 countries who abstained from voting in UNGA on a resolution that sought to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. While the abstention by India and others only facilitated adoption of the resolution, India called upon the UN to fully respect “due process” in taking any decision.
The resolution was adopted, revoking Russia’s membership, with 93 countries voting in favour and 24 against.
Russia became the first P-5 country to be suspended from any UN body and also the only country apart from Libya in 2011 to be removed from the 47-member top human rights body. India again wriggled out of a difficult situation by abstaining (its 10th abstention in 10 votes on Ukraine) even though the abstention this time worked in the favour of the US and other Western countries who wanted to expel Russia for alleged violations in Ukraine. Russia had warned the UNGA member-states that an abstention will be seen as an unfriendly gesture and also hurt bilateral ties.

India’s permanent representative to UN T S Tirumurti, however, said India decided to abstain for reasons of both “substance and process’’ while calling upon the UN to ensure all decisions are taken fully respecting due process. India’s explanation of vote came after the voting.
The resolution needed support only from 2/3 countries present and voting. Abstentions didn’t count. India has so far abstained from all 10 votes in UN on Ukraine. China voted against the resolution to suspend Russia. India’s emphasis on due course is significant as there was unease apparently among a large section of the member-states to expel Russia without waiting for the outcome of a probe into the violations. The resolution was adopted with support only from 93 out of 193 countries as abstentions didn’t count.
“India has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, right from the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We firmly believe that all decisions should be taken fully respecting due process, as all our democratic polity and structures enjoin us to do. This applies to international organisations as well, particularly the UN,” said Tirumurti, as he recalled India’s unequivocal condemnation of civilian killings in Bucha and its support for an independent probe into the killings.
The Indian ambassador reiterated India’s position that it stands for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. “We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. If India has chosen any side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,’’ he said.
In his explanation, the official said India continues to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation while calling for end to all hostilities. “When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option,’’ he said.
“The impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict,” said Tirumurti.
“Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We have unequivocally condemned these killings and support the call for an independent investigation,” he added.

The photo that went viral (Photo: Twitter)

SIDHI: A journalist and a few activists who were protesting against the arrest of an artist were detained and forced to strip down to their undergarments while in police custody in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district.
After the photos of the detained persons in underwear went viral on social media, two local police officials were transferred, a senior police official said on Thursday.
A local journalist and some activists were protesting “in unauthorised manner” in front of the Kotwali police station here against the arrest of Neeraj Kunder, director of Indravati Drama School, on April 2.
Kunder had been arrested for allegedly posting defamatory posts on Facebook using a false identity against local BJP MLA Kedar Nath Shukla and his son Gurudutt Sharan Shukla, said Kotwali police station in-charge Manoj Soni.
A group of activists along with local “YouTube journalist” Kanishk Tiwari staged a protest in front of the Kotwali police station, shouting slogans against MLA Shukla and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
According to police officer Soni, they were detained for protesting without permission and disrupting peace, and released on April 3.
But on Thursday, the photos of the protestors in their underwear went viral.
Asked about the viral photographs, Soni said they were asked to strip down to underwear because sometimes people hang themselves in custody using their clothes and this was a preventive measure.
After the photos showing the protesters getting humiliated in this way caused outrage, Soni and sub-inspector Abhishek Singh were ‘line-attached’ (shunted out from field duty) on the chief minister’s order for leaking the photographs, said a senior police official.
Congress leader Ajay Singh, in a statement, condemned the treatment meted out to journalist Kanishk Tiwari.
“This behaviour of the cops with a journalist not only reflects terror of police, but also the BJP government’s attitude towards the media fraternity and its thinking,” he said, terming the incident as a direct attack on “democracy’s fourth estate.”

NEW DELHI: The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over reports of “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” by invading Russian troops in Ukraine.

93 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 24 countries voted against it, 58 countries abstained. Those abstaining included Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE.
India, who abstained from voting, said “we continue to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation” and reiterated its call for end to all hostilities.

When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option. Impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. It’s in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside UN and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict,” India’s Permanent Representative to UN, TS Tirumurti said.

“Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We have unequivocally condemned these killings and support the call for an independent investigation,” he added.
It was the third resolution adopted by the 193-member General Assembly since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. The two previous General Assembly resolutions denouncing Russia were adopted with 141 and 140 votes in favor.
Since January this year, India has abstained on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council that deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine.

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