The decision on BPCL comes in the backdrop of the government also opening up the fuel retail market by lowering the entry barrier and allowing all companies with a net worth of ₹250 crore to set up outlets. The earlier rules required prior investments of ₹2,000 crore for companies to enter the fuel retail segment, which many believed, favoured state-run fuel retailers, including Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, BPCL and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. Private sector oil companies, such as Reliance Industries Ltd, Essar Oil Ltd and Shell India, have some presence in the fuel retailing space that is dominated by the state-run firms.