Fuel demand picks up in July

India's fuel demand picked up in July as easing of pandemic-related restrictions accelerated economic activity, helping petrol consumption reach pre-Covid levels, preliminary sales data showed on Sunday. State-owned fuel retailers sold 2.37 million tonnes of petrol in July, up 17 per cent from the year earlier period. It was 3.56 per cent higher than pre-Covid petrol sales of 2.39 million tonnes in July 2019. Sales of diesel - the most used fuel in the country - rose 12.36 per cent to 5.45 million tonnes over the previous year, but was down 10.9 per cent from July 2019. This is the second straight month that showed a rise in consumption since March. Fuel demand had recovered to near-normal levels in March before the onset of the second wave of Covid-19 infections led to the re-imposition of lockdowns in different states, stalling mobility and muting economic activity.