MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik urged the government to listen to the needs of the people.

Presiding a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al Barakah Palace, His Majesty followed his attention to social sectors and his keenness on improving living conditions. His Majesty the Sultan, while addressing the ministers, stressed the need to sense citizens’ requirements and listen to the people, notably Social Security Scheme categories and low-income groups.

His Majesty the Sultan gave directives to accelerate the revision of social programmes and the social security allocations in a manner that provides appropriate living standards for those segments. In this context, His Majesty the Sultan gave orders to disburse an additional pay for Social Security Scheme beneficiaries upon the advent of the holy month of Ramadan and to help alleviate the impact, on this group, of the high price of commodities and services.