Amid rising mass protests, Kazakhstan on Wednesday decided to introduce 180-day price regulations on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, and diesel fuel, as well as basic food products, in order to contain swelling prices in the country.
In a meeting with the relevant institutions on the socio-economic situation in the Central Asian country, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took additional stabilizing measures.
“(It is necessary) to introduce state regulation of prices for socially significant foodstuffs. This will be decided by (the regional heads) depending on the socio-economic situation in a particular region,” said a statement by the Presidency.
The new measures also postponed for a year a decision to move the sale of LPG completely to online trading platforms. This decision was to be put into effect as of January 2022 in the country of 19 million people.
A moratorium was also introduced on the prices of home utilities, along with a rent subsidy for low-income residents.
Tokayev also ordered the establishment of a public fund, financed by private and public sources, to boost the healthcare system and help children.
