Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to take strict measures against smuggling and illegal hoarding of petroleum products, as the government seeks to prevent a rise in oil prices and provide relief to low-income groups.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to review the implementation of ongoing measures related to the petroleum products supply chain, savings initiatives and relief efforts in light of the regional situation, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

PM said the federal government had cut the development budget and provided relief of 129 billion rupees to the public through various austerity and savings measures.

He directed relevant ministries to submit final proposals after consultation with the provinces and said that in the last three weeks, the government had taken important steps to support low-income groups and would continue such efforts in the future.

PM said timely decisions by the federal government had ensured adequate petroleum products to meet the country’s needs, adding that providing relief to the public remained the government’s top priority.

Officials told the meeting that the supply and demand of petroleum products and the entire supply chain were being regularly monitored through a digital dashboard.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahad Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Shaza Fatima, Owais Leghari, adviser Muhammad Ali and other senior government officials.