In Sri Lanka, which has been hit by a major economic crisis, only essential services are said to be running out of fuel. The list of essential services includes health, law and order, ports, airport, food distribution, and agriculture. All non-essential services have been suspended until July 10. In addition, existing fuel reserves are allocated to essential services. In addition, the government has introduced a token system to distribute fuel.
Schools have been closed and government and private office workers have been asked to work from home. This is the first time the island has run out of fuel. Fuel prices in the country have risen fivefold since the beginning of this year. It is noteworthy that the last price hike occurred yesterday. Petrol sells for Rs 550 a liter and diesel for Rs 460 a liter.
Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister has confirmed that there is currently no clarity on new oil exports. So, he is urging the people of the country not to wait in line at petrol stations. The shipment, which is scheduled to take place today, has been blamed on suppliers’ inability to make payments and other issues that could not be delivered. He also said that exports were not yet planned as the country had run out of dollars.
According to reports, Sri Lankan ministers will travel to Russia and Qatar in the coming days to discuss providing more fuel to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has arrived in Sri Lanka for talks. Sri Lanka has been in the grip of a major economic crisis since independence in 1948. Moreover, it has been unable to finance the import of food, medicine, and fuel since late last year.
The order from the Ministry of Public Administration said that due to the lack of public transport and the inability to arrange private vehicles, it has been decided to drastically reduce the number of employees going to work.
It is noteworthy that this order came the day after the United Nations launched its emergency plan. The UN says four out of five people in Sri Lanka are suffering from food shortages. Reported. The World Food Program (WFP) has begun distributing food vouchers to about 2,000 pregnant women in Colombo.
