NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP)-led government at the Centre would cut down India’s crude oil import by at least 10 per cent in the next seven years and bring it down to 67 per cent of the country’s total demand, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union minister of state (independent charge) for petroleum and natural gas, said.
Simultaneously, domestic output would be also increased, he said. “Right now we import about 77 per cent of our crude oil requirement. It is a matter of shame that we are importing such a huge quantity of crude oil even after 68 years of Independence.
By the time Independence completes 75 years, we want to bring this down to 66 per cent, for which we will of course have to step up our domestic output,” Pradhan said. He was addressing a press conference at the end of his four-day tour of Assam.
