Murli Deora was president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee for 22 years from 1984 to 2006. He was appointed as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2006. The 72-year-old Deora is a Rajya Sabha member.

Issues

Deregulation of oil prices is a major issue.

What he plans to do

The government will consider deregulating petrol and diesel prices as also increasing rates of natural gas sold by state firms, said Murli Deora.

He is likely to usher in reforms in auto fuel pricing, as crude oil prices have dropped. He plans to introduce a rural LPG distributorship in the first 100 days.

"At present, 9,350 LPG agencies cover only 50 per cent of the population and we want to extend the coverage to every nook and corner," he said.

"The Gramin LPG Vitrak scheme would be launched at locations having potential of up to 1,000 refills per month." The scheme will expand the distribution network of cooking gas in remote and rural areas. Benefits of development must reach villages.