The federal government on Monday increased the high-speed diesel price by Rs2.78 per litre for the next fortnight.

A notification from the Finance Division said the new HSD price was Rs272.77 per litre.

Meanwhile, the petrol price was kept unchanged at Rs264.61.

Previously, the government had kept the petrol price unchanged, while the price of HSD was reduced by Rs3 per litre.

Petrol, used mainly in private cars, small vehicles, rickshaws and motorcycles, directly impacts the budgets of middle- and lower-middle-income groups.

Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.