Omanis earning RO 600 will get petrol subsidy

Omani citizens aged 18 and above who earn RO 600 or less a month will get 200 litres of subsidised fuel (M91) every month, the government has announced. Citizens who meet the criteria will get the fuel at 180 baisa per litre. Starting from January, the fuel subsidy scheme is part of a government social security net for citizens hit by the removal of fuel subsidies and rising fuel prices. The government has called on all eligible Omanis to register on National Subsidy System website www.nss.gov.om at the earliest. The subsidy cards can be obtained from the fuel stations. The details were announced by the Follow-up Committee in Charge of Fuel Prices on Wednesday. The plan follows the implementation of the decision of the Council of Ministers to ensure social justice. The new scheme is expected to help students, retirees, job-seekers, fishermen, farmers and housewives. Bader al Hinai, Director General of Communications at the Secretariat General to the Council of Ministers, said these categories were identified after studying different aspects, including family income, monthly fuel consumption, income levels, among others. Ahmed bin Said Kashoob, an economist, the subsidy card provides 200 litres every year, with the M91 fuel price capped at 180 baisa/litre. If the price exceeds, the government will bear the cost difference.” If the price of M-91 fuel drops, they can buy it for the lower price. This will be applicable at stations belonging to oil marketing companies such as Maha, Oman Oil and Shell. According to Kashoob, 376,000 will benefit from the support, which means 40 per cent of the cars owned by citizens. For fishermen, the condition is he should own a boat registered with Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. For farmers, details would be announced soon. The government decided to give 200 litres of subsidised fuel based on the vehicle data recorded and quantity of consumption in the last five years. This quantity has been found to be the average fuel consumption by an Omani family, according to the National Center for Statistics and Information. Zainab al Nassri