By Sandun A. Jayasekera

The cabinet has on Monday decided to issue fuel import permits to major fuel consumers of the country such as the CEB to directly import fuel as a solution to the current fuel and power crisis, Education and Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said.   

Minister, Dr. Pathirana who is also the co-cabinet spokesman told the weekly post cabinet news briefing yesterday that the Petroleum Products (special provisions) Act No. 33 of 2002 would be amended accordingly.  The big fuel users of the state sector will get the opportunity to negotiate with the foreign fuel suppliers and import fuel individually under this arrangement and the CEYPETCO’s burdens of supplying fuel on credit running to billions of rupees to state establishments would be lessened with this arrangement, he said.   

Responding to a journalist, Minister Dr. Pathirana said the government would take a decision today on a price increase of Litro gas after reviewing the current global and domestic market situation of cooking gas and added that the government suspended a price hike of Litro gas last week. 

 
He also said the government has not taken a decision yet to pay Rs. 5,000 to low income families as opined by certain media. However, the government has already given a Rs. 5,000 allowance to public servants to minimise the effects of the prevailing hardships in the country, Minister Dr. Pathirana stressed.