NEW DELHI: The government plans to raise diesel, cooking gas and kerosene prices after the presidential poll but petrol will remain stable this month, a senior oil ministry official said."Diesel price hike is inevitable but I can't give you a date," the official said on condition of anonymity. Prices of cooking gas and kerosene are also likely to be raised to cut rising subsidy bill, he added.There is a need to boost the economy by raising fuel prices but it would happen in a politically suitable time, the official said. "Nobody sacrifices the government at the altar of economic policies," the official said on Thursday.According to government officials, diesel prices could rise after presidential election on Jul 19 or after appointment of the new vice-president. Election for vice-president is on August 7. The government, which has a thin majority, is unlikely to take any controversial decision such as fuel price hike to avoid opposition from political parties before elections for the two top constitutional posts, they said.Officials ruled out any change in petrol rates this month. "Crude oil prices and exchange rates are volatile but companies are not losing revenue on sale of petrol," the oil ministry official said. Oil industry executives say the current petrol price is revenue neutral.The government controls retail prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas. Petrol rates are supposed to be market determined but the oil ministry tacitly controls its pricing through state oil firms.The government is also expected to take crucial decisions on Cairn's proposal to raise the Rajasthan oil field output by 71% and pricing of coal bed methane (CBM) and KG-D6 gas in the next couple of months."There is huge variation between CBM prices discovered by RIL and Essar Oil. We may refer it to a committee of secretaries. Why only oil ministry should take the decision," the official said. On RIL's D6 gas price issue, the official said that the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) would examine the matter after the Prime Minister appoints its new chairman.The official said the government was examining Cairn's proposal to raise crude oil output from the Rajasthan block.The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGHC), the technical arm of the government, is studying Cairn India's plan to raise oil output from the block to 300,000 barrels per day from 175,00 bpd, the official said.