Govt diverting around Rs 17,000 crore from petrol and diesel cess kitty

The government raised the price of petrol and diesel by increasing the cess and surcharge on them. But Budget numbers indicate that around Rs 17,000 crore collected through cess during 2018-19 and 2019-20 would not be utilised for designated purposes.
 
The government had increased the cess on fuel by Rs 1 a litre from July 6. Money collected thus flows into the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF). The collection on account of cess on diesel and petrol yielded the government Rs 1.13 trillion in 2018-19 and is estimated to bring in Rs 1.27 trillion in 2019-20. But all