Kathmandu, Apr. 6

Students and the farmers are likely to get a discount of around 33 per cent in the prices of the petroleum products within a month.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers about three months ago had decided to provide subsidy in the prices of the petroleum products to the students, farmers and the poor and had formed a taskforce coordinated by Janak Shah, member of the National Planning Commission, to prepare a report about the procedures and system to be followed while providing such subsidy.

According to Deepak Subedi, spokesperson at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, the ministry was preparing to forward its report to the council of ministers for endorsement.

He said that the relief package progarmmes would be implemented immediately after the cabinet endorsed the procedures.

Earlier, the taskforce had submitted the report to the Office of the Prime Minister.

He said that the taskforce had included the procedures and system of providing the subsidy in its reports after collecting the data of students and farmers from the concerned ministries.

As per the recommendation of the taskforce, each student would get 33 per cent discount in one cylinder of gas or in 30 litres kerosene in each three months. Only the students pursuing higher education would be eligible for the relief package programmes.

Subedi said that the students need to submit the bill of gas in the account section of their campus to enjoy the subsidy.

Similarly, the farmers would get 50 litres diesel for one hectors of land per season. The farmers would get 150 litres of diesel in one hectors of land per year.

He said that the farmers should submit the bill in the Agriculture Development Office for the subsidy.

Subedi informed that they were sincere in providing relief to the right people.

"The targeted groups will benefit from the subsidy progarmmes within a month," he said.