Muscat: The Oman Shura Council has urged the government to allocate 200 litres of free fuel on a monthly basis for low-income Omani families.
The council said the move would protect the segment of society that have been most affected by the hike in fuel prices.
Speaking to Gulf News, Hilal Al Sarmi, a Shura member representing Seeb province, said the government has an obligation to shoulder the difference in prices of petroleum.
“We have been pushing the government for this since February,” he said.
The Council of Ministers had also ordered that the price of M91 fuel be frozen at its February level until the government finds an alternative solution to help those affected by the fuel price hike.
Ahmad Al Beloushi, a 55-year-old father of five on welfare, said he can no longer afford to buy fuel.
“The 350 riyals (Dh342) I receive monthly from the government is only enough to feed my family,” he said.
Al Beloushi who used to fill his tank with 20 riyals now has to pay 45 riyals.
Mohammad Al Salami, another Omani receiving welfare, says he is in the same boat and hopes the Shura Council proposal will be implemented soon by the government.
Around 84,644 Omanis are currently on welfare.
According to the last released figures, the Omani government spent around 131 million riyals for welfare payments in 2015.
Oman’s 2017 budget contained massive spending cuts due to the plunge in oil prices.
State revenue is expected to rake in 8.7 billion riyals but spending is predicted to reach 11.7 billion riyals, resulting in a 3 billion riyal deficit.
The predicted deficit is significantly lower than the 5.3 billion deficit posted in 2016.
