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Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu said that it was the compulsion of the government to jack up the prices of petroleum products.

Speaking at a meeting of the Industry Committee under the House of Representatives on Monday, Minister Badu said that the government has reduced the tax levied on petroleum products by Rs 10 and cannot slash more than that.

Despite the increase in fuel prices, the Nepal Oil Corporation is still facing the loss, leader Badu further said.

He said that the government did not increase the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) so as not to give further stress to the people.

Nepali Congress general secretary duo Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma held a meeting with party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar on Monday.

During the meeting, the duo raised nine issues of the party’s internal, national politics and contemporary issues.

The general secretary duo drew the attention of the Prime Minister towards holding policy convention, Central Working Committee meeting, giving full shape to the departments within June 23 and full shape to the Working Committee of the Nepal Students Union and Tarun Dal at the earliest among others.

In response, Prime Minister Deuba said that he will take the decision after holding discussions with other party leaders.

They also suggested the Prime Minister call the opposition parties for a discussion and develop a common opinion on the State Partnership Program. They have demanded that the government close the chapter of the SPP forever by completing all the due process.

The two general secretaries also drew the attention of the government to the rise in the prices of petroleum products.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota issued a ruling directing the government to respond to the price hike in petroleum products.

The Speaker issued the ruling after the main opposition CPN-UML demanded answers from the government on the rise in fuel prices in the Parliament on Monday.

“My attention has been drawn towards the rise in petroleum products. I want to draw the attention of the government as well. I instruct the government to present the facts on the issue before the Parliament,” he said.

The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the state-owned monopoly, hiked the prices of petroleum products on Sunday.

The NOC has decided to increase Rs 21 per liter each in petrol and Rs 27 per liter in diesel and kerosene.

As per the new revised rate, the petrol will now cost Rs 199 per litre and diesel and kerosene will cost Rs 192 per litre.

The NOC, however, has not increased the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

Sri Lanka’s military have opened fire to quell rioting at a fuel station, officials say, as unprecedented queues for petrol and diesel were seen across the bankrupt country, The Guardian reported.

Troops fired in Visuvamadu, 365km (228 miles) north of Colombo on Saturday night as their guard point was pelted with stones, army spokesperson Nilantha Premaratne said.

“A group of 20 to 30 people pelted stones and damaged an army truck,” he said.

Police said four civilians and three soldiers were wounded when the army opened fire for the first time to contain unrest linked to the worsening economic crisis.

As the pump ran out of petrol, motorists began to protest and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police said.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country unable to find dollars to import essentials, including food, fuel and medicines.

The nation’s population of 22 million has been enduring acute shortages and long queues for scarce supplies while president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has for months resisted calls to step down over mismanagement.

Sri Lanka has deployed armed police and troops to guard fuel stations, according to Guardian.

A motorist was shot dead by police in April at the central town of Rambukkana when a clash erupted over the distribution of rationed petrol and diesel.

Police said clashes involving motorists erupted at three locations over the weekend. At least six constables were wounded in one clash while seven motorists were arrested.

The government declared a two-week shutdown of state institutions and schools in a bid to reduce commuting and conserve depleting fuel stocks in the impoverished nation.

The country is also facing record high inflation and lengthy power blackouts, all of which have contributed to months of protests.

Four out of five people in Sri Lanka have started skipping meals as they cannot afford to eat, the United Nations has said, warning of a looming “dire humanitarian crisis” with millions in need of aid.

The World Food Program began distributing food vouchers to about 2,000 pregnant women in Colombo’s “underserved” areas as part of “life-saving assistance” on Thursday, The Guardian reported.

The program is trying to raise $60m for a food relief effort between June and December.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51bn foreign debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.