Lebanon’s economic crisis worsened even more



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Lebanon’s economic crisis worsened even more

Warnings of suspension of support for medicines and fuels


Thursday – 3 Rabi Al Thani 1442 AH – November 19, 2020 AD Edition No. [
15332]


Oils sold at a price subsidized by the Ministry of Economy in a Beirut supermarket, amid warnings that the economic crisis is worsening in Lebanon (Reuters)

Beirut: “Asharq Al-Awsat”

The “Progressive Socialist Party” presented an accelerated and repeated bill to the House of Representatives to limit subsidies to cheaper imported pharmaceuticals, in light of the worsening economic crisis and the decline in the country’s hard currency reserves. Central Bank of Lebanon; This threatens to subsidize the importation of basic products such as medicines, fuel and flour.
A member of the Democratic Board, Representative Bilal Abdullah, who deposited the bill in the Presidency of Parliament to review it and give it the necessary legal direction, said: “We will soon lose all our capacities for medicine, food, flour and fuel, and medicine may be the most vital substance for people, especially those with illnesses. Chronic. “He added:” We are obliged to extend the time and use the funds that remain in the Central Bank and, as a reminder, these are the money of the depositors; therefore, we proposed a law based on subsidizing the cheapest drug in the Banque du Liban, whether innovative or generic medicine, these medicines are authorized by the Ministry of Health and conform to scientific specifications, and lead to the same result.
Abdullah indicated that “this proposal will achieve a minimum saving of 200 million dollars.” He said: “Unfortunately, we legislate on the impact of bankruptcy, and this is necessary to protect the remaining hard currencies that exist, and we made a reiterated proposal because the danger is imminent.”
This move comes in light of warnings of a worsening living crises in light of the decline in the Central Bank of Lebanon (the Central Bank) reserves of hard currency that it uses to support commodities. Yesterday, it was revealed that at a meeting held by the Central Council of the Banque du Liban, on Tuesday, the issue of lifting fuel subsidies was discussed, which will lead to a significant increase in the electricity bill, especially the bill for diesel-powered generators, which is a huge burden on citizens. The “MTV” channel reported that, at the meeting to be held next week, the issue will be discussed again and suggestions for compromise solutions will be raised.
The warnings coincided with a crisis that occurred in Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon, represented by the accumulation of garbage in the streets of the city, following the open strike carried out by workers at the solid waste sorting plant. domestic for the third day in a row, and they stopped working.
The debris accumulated within the Ain al-Hilweh camp, near Sidon, where the crisis appeared to be most severe. Due to its overcrowding and small geographic area, UNRWA health workers collected waste from residential neighborhoods and placed it in the camp’s main landfills, sprinkling it with lime to reduce the spread of insects and bad odors.

Lebanon



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