Diesel prices soared to their highest level of Rs 61.74 per litre in Delhi. It is being sold at Rs 65.74 in Mumbai.

Prices have been on the rise since December 12, 2017. Diesel in Delhi on that day was priced at Rs 58.34, and in past one month has risen by Rs 3.4. Petrol price has during the period risen by Rs 2.09, according to oil companies.

Two the most traded benchmark crude globally have risen the most since December 2014 - Brent touched $70.05 a barrel last week and WTI reached $64.77.

The rally in oil prices has renewed calls to the government to cut excise duty to cushion burden on common man.

The BJP-led NDA government has during its tenure cut excise duty only once - by Rs 2 per litre in October 2017 when petrol price had reached Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi and diesel was priced at Rs 59.14.

However, subsequent rally has wiped away all the gains and prices have touched new highs. Last week, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had responded to questions on whether the Centre would cut excise duty on the two fuel, by asking states to first cut VAT.

The October 2017 excise duty cut cost the government Rs 260 billion in annual revenue and about Rs 130 billion during the remaining part of the current financial year that ends on March 31, 2018.

The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices.

In all, duty on petrol was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop-up more than double to Rs 2.42 trillion in 2016-17 from Rs 990 billion in 2014-15.

State-owned oil companies in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on 1st and 16th of every month and instead adopted a dynamic daily price revision to instantly reflect changes in cost. Rates during the first fortnight starting June 16 dropped but have been on the rise since July 4.

Since then prices are revised on daily basis. Today, price of petrol went up by 12 paisa per liter and that of diesel by 18 paisa.