Oil import bill up 3.8% in 2003-04

India's net oil import bill went up just 3.8 per cent to Rs 77,058 crore in 2003-04, mainly due to the appreciation of the rupee against the dollar, Petroleum Secretary B K Chaturvedi said.

"There has been a marginal growth in the import bill in spite of domestic consumption rising 3.1 per cent. If the rupee appreciates by 7 per cent, we expect the net oil import bill in 2004-05 to remain at about the same level of last year," he said in New Delhi.

Crude oil and petroleum product import bill grew to Rs 93,159 crore in 2003-04 over Rs 85,042 crore in the last year.