Awareness campaigns on rational use of electricity

Adding to this, Dr Mansour bin Talib Al Hinai, chairman of the Authority for Public Services Regulation (APSR), said his organisation would continue to protect the interests of people in the country while this plan was being implemented.

“We need to monitor the costs of providing these services, by reviewing all our spending and returns,” he explained.

“We have also taken a number of initiatives to educate communities about rational use of electricity. A team consisting of Omani youths has been formed to raise awareness in this area. We have also begun awareness campaigns to ask people to switch to more energy-efficient devices.

“We will hold periodic dialogues which will look at the costs of energy and water in the country, and will undertake future projects to reduce them, which is one of the objectives of Vision 2040,” added Al Hinai.

“Among the initiatives we have undertaken as part of this is the generation of domestic energy through solar panels.

“However, anyone who abuses our services will be reviewed, and they money for which they seek compensation from us will not be given to them,” he warned.

Dr Said bin Mohammed Al Saqri, Minister of Economy, said that the government needs to make sure the main economic sectors of the country continue to function during the pandemic, and to lessen its impact on the nation’s small and medium enterprises.

“Among the challenges facing our economy, due to the decline in oil prices, and the pandemic, is the need to maintain macroeconomic stability, which is measured in the form of GDP growth, economic growth, price stability, and the preservation of the purchasing power of the Omani Rial,” he explained.

“These challenges also include the halting and decline of economic activity, and the repercussions this has on the labour market,” he admitted. “This also includes the termination of Omani workers, and it is expected that this will lead to an economic contraction of about four percent. We have introduced several measures to alleviate the severity of the pandemic for our services to continue running.”

“The total value of the incentives to withstand the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic is about OMR 8 billion,” Al Saqri revealed. “The team from the National Programme for Fiscal Balance will present several recommendations that are aimed at mitigating the repercussions of the effects of the pandemic, and also lead to increased job creation and economic activity in the long run, as well as encouraging foreign direct investment in the country.”