Categories
-Top News London News UK News

‘Windfall tax on Covid profits could solve food crisis’

A windfall tax could be used to alleviate the cost of living crisis for the poor in developed countries, and the building hunger in the developing world, said Bucher….reports Asian Lite News

Food, fossil fuel and pharmaceutical companies that have enjoyed bumper profits in the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath should be hit with a windfall tax on their excess income, the global head of Oxfam has said.

A windfall tax of 90 per cent on the excess profits globally would yield about $490 billion that could be used to solve the food crisis, which is heading to “catastrophic levels” for hundreds of millions of people, and set the world on the path to a sustainable food system, the Guardian quoted Gabriela Bucher, executive director of Oxfam International, as saying.

“The food crisis we’re facing is extremely serious, and probably unprecedented. There’s insufficient funding to address the immediate life-saving that is required, but also for the long term, addressing the root causes,” she said.

“If we don’t act fast, it will continue and reach really catastrophic levels.”

A windfall tax could be used to alleviate the cost of living crisis for the poor in developed countries, and the building hunger in the developing world, argued Bucher.

“We know that large corporations are making very significant profits, and have been making them during the pandemic,” she said, singling out fossil fuels, food and pharmaceuticals.

“We’ve calculated how much excess profit there has been during the pandemic and taxing excess profits as a windfall tax would generate resources both for the most affected populations in the richer countries, and to be able to fulfil commitments in terms of aid, and responding to the worst suffering in the world.”

Such a tax would also produce funds to bolster the food system against future crises, the Guardian quoted the Oxfam executive director as saying.

“(It would) also address longer-term food security issues, because it’s important to save lives now, but also really strengthen the systems that will enable populations to be resilient,” she said.

ALSO READ: Korean firm sues Pak govt in London court

Categories
-Top News London News

TUC Turns heat on Boris& Team

The TUC is calling on the government to stop inflaming the dispute by refusing to aid negotiations, insisting on imposing cuts, and threatening to revoke workers’ legal rights…reports Asian Lite News

The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Britain’s largest workers’ forum, is calling on the Westminster government to adopt a positive role in the rail dispute instead of “inflaming tensions” and threatening to revoke workers’ legal rights.

The RMT workers are on three-day strike this week. Rail workers in Wales have reached agreements with rail operators on pay and job protections. And in Scotland there is meaningful negotiation taking place. But the TUC says this opportunity has been blocked for other rail workers by ministers in Westminster, who insist on imposing cuts rather than negotiating a future for rail that benefits both rail travellers and staff.

And last week the Transport Minister Grant Shapps undermined a negotiated outcome by threatening to change the law so that employers can draft in agency workers in place of their workforce during industrial action – a proposal reminiscent of the action taken by P&O.

Rail workers have already had their pay frozen for the last two years, at a time when most other workers got nominal pay rises. And many of the rail workers who will be taking industrial action are on low pay, so will be hit particularly hard by real terms pay losses worth thousands of pounds.

The TUC is calling on the government to stop inflaming the dispute by refusing to aid negotiations, insisting on imposing cuts, and threatening to revoke workers’ legal rights.

“The government has the power to help end this dispute,” said TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady. “But rather than working in good faith to find a negotiated settlement, ministers are inflaming tensions and trying to pitch worker against worker. Instead of threatening to do a P&O on these workers and rip up their rights, ministers should be getting people around the table to help agree a fair deal.”

Outlining why workers are taking action, Frances added: “Nobody takes strike action lightly. But rail staff have been left with no other option. Many rail staff who will be hit hardest – such as caterers and cleaners – are on low and average earnings. It’s insulting to ask them to take yet another real-terms pay cut when rail companies took £500 million in profits during the pandemic. If these cuts go ahead thousands of safety-critical and frontline jobs will be lost, with train services at risk too. We need a better vison for the future of rail than commuters packed on unsafe trains like sardines.”

Under government pressure to cut spending, Network Rail plans to cut annual expenditure by £100 million, mainly through the loss of 2,500 rail maintenance jobs. RMT analysis of Network Rail data finds that this will lead to 670,000 fewer hours of maintenance work annually. Network Rail responsibilities include track maintenance – essential to avoiding accidents fatal like Hatfield, which was the result of the metal tracks fatiguing. Network Rail is also responsible for maintaining signals to ensure trains are on time and prevent collisions, for the electricity supply to the network, and for the safe upkeep of buildings including public spaces like the UK’s largest rail stations.

ALSO READ-By-elections pose fresh threat to Boris

Categories
Lite Blogs London News

‘India @ 75’ lecture by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud at London School of Economics

The Constitution is a transformative document’ in which the judiciary and legislature recognize various conceptions of these rights, and that is the language in which political and social issues are generally framed…reports Asian Lite News

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (UK) and LSE South Asia Centre have found a very timely and appropriate collaboration, to host the inaugural ‘India @ 75’ lecture held at the Hong Kong Lecture Theatre on 22 June 2022. With the aim of discussing and deliberating the role of courts in adjudication matters and upholding the democratic ethos in a constitutional system, the Summit hosted Hon’ble Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and incoming Chief Justice of India who spoke on ‘Experiences with Adjudication: Reconciling Rights, Identities and Prejudices’. Justice Chandrachud began his lecture by highlighting how the rights in the Constitution are abstract rights.

‘The Constitution is a transformative document’ in which the judiciary and legislature recognize various conceptions of these rights, and that is the language in which political and social issues are generally framed. People with different socio-political views use this language to advocate their rights. In the Indian context, affirmative action is debated on facets of the right to equality. ‘Law is an aspiration for change’, and the answers one gets are based on how you frame the discourse. Justice Chandrachud did not discuss the fallacy of framing social issues in the context of rights, but instead explored the possibility for conflicting rights to exist within one constitutional framework.

He explained how the judiciary interprets rights based on its vision of the common good with respect to the Constitution; national identities are identifiable by a nation’s past, but a constitutional identity draws a balance: ‘Our survival depends on our ability to stay awake.’ Engaging with a range of questions from an enthusiastic audience, Justice Chandrachud spoke on judicial impartiality in the context of social media and media trials, inclusive representation, role of artificial intelligence in adjudication, digitization and data privacy, amongst other topics.

The Chairperson of NISAU Sanam Arora remarked, “We are honoured that our activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence and the NISAU’s tenth anniversary have been inaugurated by the foremost expert of the Indian constitution, Dr Chandrachud at the London School of Economics. The LSE, which incidentally is also celebrating the centenary of Dr BR Ambedkar’s PhD this year, is where the NISAU was born, and for us to mark this triple occasion in the presence of Dr Chandrachud has been a great honour.” Vignesh Karthik, Head of Thought Leadership observed “Justice Dr. Chandrachud meticulously invoked India’s constitutional ethos that upholds sacrifice and commitment of the founding fathers of our republic towards steadily achieving social, economic and political justice for all.”

ALSO READ-INDIA @ 75 YEARS A CELEBRATION

Categories
Lite Blogs London News

YOGA IN LONDON

The Indian High Commission in London led the celebrations on the 8th International Day of Yoga with community events kicking off since last week, culminating in a central event on Tuesday at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, known as Neasden Temple, in London. “This year the theme is Yoga for Humanity. As the Honourable Prime Minister has said, Yoga is not just about exercise, it’s a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, with the world and with nature,” said Indian High Commissioner to the UK Gaitri Issar Kumar.

Categories
India News London News Theatre

Ambivalence on Gandhi versus Godse in London play

Its sister paper on Sundays The Observer was not as enthusiastic. It said, “this is a first-person narrative, delivered with bias and embellishments”…reports Ashish Ray

A controversial play on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi performed at the prestigious National Theatre in London has fared well at the box office and has even received praise in reviews in a section of the British press.

A spokeswoman for the National Theatre indicated the stage show had achieved a “a seated capacity of 80 per cent throughout the course of the run” since last month.

The main character in the production is not Gandhi, but his killer Nathuram Godse. The depiction unfolds into a portrayal of Gandhi versus Godse ideologies, leaving comment on them somewhat unanswered, unless the audience is expected to reach a conclusion from the cacophony of Godse’s role.

“Any dramatization of history requires a degree of imaginative licence of the playright,” argued the writer of the play Chennai-born Anupama Chandrasekhar in a note in the programme for the performance. That’s fair enough. She continued: “This is not to say that the play is primarily a work of fiction. Rather, I have used history as the frame within which I could track the trajectories of both Gandhi and Godse, and therefore, of India.”

Admittedly, not a great deal is known that widely about Godse compared to a universal figure like Gandhi. This is but natural. How can a school dropout, who worked briefly as a tailor’s assistant and was in Chandrasekhar’s words “a small-time party worker” of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and then the assassin of the father of the Indian nation be of general curiosity other than his unspeakable crime?

Chandrasekhar described it as “this battle between the Champion of Ahimsa and his very opposite”. Can hate and violence be on the same pedestal as Gandhi’s peace and non-violence? She acknowledged in reference to two million people dying at the time of the partition of India: “The fact that Bengal was fairly peaceful is testament to how much people respected Gandhi – and how big India’s loss was with his death.”

Yet, she leaves the question suspended on stage and indeed permits Godse the last word. The uninitiated could leave the hall a little baffled between right and wrong, the hero and the villain. They could even wonder if today’s extremism is justified because of the death sentence handed down to Godse.

Chandrasekhar highlights the story of Godse being brought up as a girl by his parents. Is there a suggestion that the psychological injury thus committed on him at childhood was the cause of him going astray? Grounds for what he did? It’s a risky territory to venture into without scientific substantiation.

“When it comes to taboo-busting, Anupama Chandrasekhar has form,” wrote The Guardian. Its sister paper on Sundays The Observer was not as enthusiastic. It said, “this is a first-person narrative, delivered with bias and embellishments”.

Financial Times called it an “exhilarating, epic play”. But the Daily Telegraph defined it as a “dramatically slight study of Gandhi and his killer”. The New European summed up, “it’s hard not to feel Chandrashekhar has bitten off more than she can chew”.

Shubham Saraf as Godse, Paul Bazely as Gandhi and Sagar Arya as Vinayak Savarkar, not to mention Ayesha Dharkar as Godse’s mother and Sid Sagar as Narayan Apte, catch the eye. Director Indhu Rubasingham brings script together in parts quite arrestingly.

A rumour doing the rounds was the Indian government refused permission for the play to be staged in India. This was dismissed by the National Theatre spokeswoman who said: “There has never been any plan or intention to produce the play at another venue in the UK or abroad.”

The play’s current run finishes this weekend.

ALSO READ-BRITAIN FACES STRIKE CHAOS

Categories
Lite Blogs London News

London to Host Bengal Pride Awards

Draw up a list of the greatest academics and professors in UK, the greatest doctors, the greatest artistes across the nation or some of the most successful media personalities, chances are your list will include several names from the Bengali community…reports Asian Lite News

20 July 2022 will mark the third year of the Bengal Pride Awards at the House of Commons, London, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the Bengali ethnic community from India and Bangladesh. 

The Bengali community has been, for decades, contributing to growth not just across South Asia but right across the globe. This is nowhere more evident than in the United Kingdom, where nearly half a million Bengalis live, thrive, and excel in every sphere of life. 

Anna Firth, MP and our Chairperson said: “I’m so proud to be part of the Bengal’s Pride Awards. It’s such a great way to celebrate the Bengali culture, heritage, and contribution the Bengalis are making to the UK and the global economy and society. The organisers have decided to create a very special Sir David Amess Memorial Award to remember his sacrifice and contribution to make Sound end on Sea a city.”

The awards were created to recognise community members who have made significant contributions but have never been recognised for their efforts.

One of the Trustees, Liji George noted that “The Bengal Pride Awards provide an opportunity to bring forth such individuals, showcase their accomplishments, and the worthy winner is chosen by an independent panel of judges. In recent years we have recognised some incredible individuals who would not have been known in the community otherwise,”.

Goutam Ghosh, Brand Ambassador commented, “It’s indeed a great pleasure for me to join the team of Bengal’s Pride Awards 2022… lets nominate those individuals who are making great contributions to our societies to make it great. I’ll be there to celebrate the success stories along with you all.”

 “This is the 100 years birth centenary of Bangladesh’s first PM, Sheikh Majib and 50 years of Bhasha Dibas, and both these dates are important to the Bengali sentiment.”, says Samit Biswas, Trustee Advatech Foundation.

Draw up a list of the greatest academics and professors in UK, the greatest doctors, the greatest artistes across the nation or some of the most successful media personalities, chances are your list will include several names from the Bengali community.  Refer to this page to nominate people for the awards: https://thebengalsprideawards.com/categories

BPA is the only award in the UK to acknowledge Bengalis and their achievements across all walks of life and aims to create role models for tomorrow’s community leaders – entrepreneurs, professionals, and social workers. 

They strive to recognize the pioneering spirit of the Bengali and honour the individuals who, through their work, have made a huge difference to all lives, inspiring to endure, flourish and nurture. While the awards are being held in the UK, invite nominations right across the world.

ALSO READ-UK AID TO PAKISTAN: London to Link Aid With Human Rights

Categories
-Top News London News UK News

Sadiq unveils new plan to tackle violence against women

It will target the behaviour of those who perpetrate abuse and make sure they are the focus for change…reports Asian Lite News

A new plan that champions a public health approach to ending violence against women and girls has been unveiled by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan on a visit to Waltham Forest.

While there the Mayor met a beautician and visited a dry cleaners and library to see first-hand the training and education being delivered to men about VAWG to help them become more active allies.

Cafes, libraries, dry cleaners, pubs, beauticians, gyms and other everyday venues across London are being encouraged to be part of the Mayor’s ‘whole society’ approach to tackling violence against women and girls.

The holistic approach will see close to £18m of additional investment from City Hall on specialist services to improve support for victims and survivors, tackle the behaviour of perpetrators and better educate the public on the help they can provide.

The investment in support services includes a specialised response to support all victims to have equal access to justice and services.

The Mayor’s newly refreshed strategy recognises that more robust policing or the threat of the criminal justice system alone cannot prevent violence against women and girls. 

Sadiq’s new strategy will adopt a public health approach to preventing and reducing violence against women and girls. It will place a stronger emphasis on partnership working, prevention and education across a wide range of services in London.

It will target the behaviour of those who perpetrate abuse and make sure they are the focus for change.

“The epidemic of violence is a crisis which should shame us all which is why I’m uniting with partners across London to not only provide support to women and girls but to help educate and inform all Londoners, especially men, about the danger posed by misogynistic attitudes and behaviours,” Sadiq Khan said.

“As well as record investment in services for victims and survivors, I am also funding initiatives which address the behaviour of those at risk of offending or reoffending to help prevent them turning to violence,” he added.

As part of the new plan, local authorities, the NHS, night-time venues, high street shops, Transport for London and the transport industry, universities, the police and the criminal justice system will work more closely with support services tackling VAWG to spot the signs and intervene earlier as part of the Mayor’s whole society approach to effectively tackling violence against women and girls.

High street venues across London, including dry cleaners, beauticians and cafes are being urged to sign up to become information points so that victims of violence or those at risk can be directed to support services safely, quickly and discreetly.

Civic settings such as libraries are also being encouraged to become disclosure settings where women and girls can seek specialist help. City Hall will also convene a round table discussion next month with partners to determine how the NHS and wider health sector can better tackle VAWG collectively in the capital.

ALSO READ-US mass shooter called for Sadiq Khan’s death

Categories
-Top News London News UK News

ECONOMY IN TROUBLE

The record for job vacancies has been broken several times since the second half of last year. In the first quarter of 2022, for the first time since records began, there were fewer unemployed people than job vacancies across Britain…reports Asian Lite News

As Britain’s economy grapples with the impact of a record number of job vacancies, a labour market expert has warned that the problem may continue for another three to five years.

The impact of Britain’s departure from the European Union, and of the COVID-19 pandemic, have sparked one of the biggest worker shortages in years, Donald Houston, a professor from the University of Portsmouth, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Data released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of job vacancies rose to a new high of 1.3 million during March to May 2022. This is over half a million more than before the pandemic.

The record for job vacancies has been broken several times since the second half of last year. In the first quarter of 2022, for the first time since records began, there were fewer unemployed people than job vacancies across Britain.

“It’s important to say that what’s happening is not that the economy is suddenly booming, and that we’ve got a huge growth in labor demand. This is driven entirely by a reduction in the number of people in the workforce,” Houston said.

British employers in many industrial sectors are reporting serious difficulties recruiting enough workers, he said. This has led to difficulties including chaos at airports, and massive flight cancellations during the jubilee holiday.

“What’s really been going on is a combination of the pandemic made slightly worse by Brexit,” said Houston, a professor of economic geography at the university’s faculty of science and health.

He said Britain’s shortage of workers became evident as the country emerged from lockdown.

“Some staff moved into early retirement because they’d had enough of working during the lockdown, and a lot of people moved out of the labor market because of long-term sickness, no doubt a good chunk of that due to long COVID. And then we’ve also lost about 100,000 European workers compared to before the pandemic,” he told Xinhua.

Earlier this month, an ONS survey revealed that an estimated 2 million people in Britain had lingering COVID-19 symptoms more than four weeks after their initial infection, which is classified as long COVID.

However, Houston said the job vacancy crisis should improve fairly rapidly, but will not completely disappear for a long time.

“Because some of the issues are long-term structural issues, such as losing well over 100,000 people of working age to early retirement during the pandemic, and losing another 100,000-plus people to long-term sickness because of the pandemic, plus the loss of 100,000 EU workers. Those problems aren’t going to go away anytime soon,” he said.

“It’s going to take another three to five years beyond that to make sure that we have sufficient workers, and workers with sufficient skills to build a sustainable recovery,” the professor said.

He also blamed the geographically uneven vacancy crisis across Britain. The highest vacancy rates in the country have been seen in rural parts of the southwest and northwest, as well as certain inner London boroughs.

“Some of these rural and inner London boroughs are some of the places that have the greatest dependency on foreign workers, in particular for agriculture and hospitality,” said Houston.

ALSO READ-CBI SEEKS COBRA ON ECONOMY

Categories
-Top News London News

BENEFITS TO BRICKS

Changing these policies would “help millions realise the dream of home ownership”, Mr Johnson said…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister has pledged to “finish the right to own reforms” started by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. He said working people would be able to put housing benefits towards their first mortgage.

He told an audience in Blackpool that it would be easier for hard-working families to “put away a little every month” to save a deposit.

Mr Johnson said it was time to “turn benefits to bricks” in his speech as he aimed to rebuild his leadership after a confidence vote this week. But critics say the proposals are unworkable and would make the housing crisis worse, BBC reported.

In Monday’s confidence vote on Mr Johnson’s leadership, four in 10 Tory MPs backed getting rid of him, amid anger over widespread Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street during lockdown. There is also disquiet among Conservatives over the government’s decision to raise National Insurance, while the cost of living is soaring and the public finances have been battered by the expense of dealing with Covid.

Mr Johnson restated the government’s commitment to extending a home-buying scheme, known as right to buy, to housing association tenants. He said he wanted to extend it “within existing spending plans” and ensure a “one-for-one replacement” of each home sold.

The prime minister also said universal credit recipients would get to choose whether to spend their benefits on rent or put them towards a mortgage. The government will explore discounting Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy ISA savings from Universal Credit eligibility rules, Mr Johnson said. Currently, claimants are only eligible for universal credit if they have savings below £16,000, and Lifetime ISAs are included in this limit.

Changing these policies would “help millions realise the dream of home ownership”, Mr Johnson said.

Housing benefits, which help low-income or unemployed people pay their rent, cost the government around £30bn a year, much of which goes to private landlords. A person is not usually eligible for the payments if they have a mortgage.

There is already a shortage of social housing without selling properties – 1.1 million people are on waiting lists. The government has not revealed who will be able to take advantage of the scheme, how much it will cost and whether it will be capped

Commenting on plans to extend the right to buy scheme announced by the government, Tom Fyans, director of campaigns and policy at CPRE, the countryside charity, said:   ‘Unfortunately, this is another example of a government rapidly losing touch with the realities of rural life. Extending right to buy will do nothing to address the rural affordable homes crisis because the problem is a lack of homes in the first place. There are 176,000 families in rural areas on social housing waiting lists. These are families that could be even further disadvantaged by housing associations being forced to sell their limited homes on the cheap.

‘The number one lesson of right to buy in a rural context is that it decimated rural social housing stocks. What low-income families need is hundreds of thousands more truly affordable homes to live in. Those living in the countryside are hampered by low wages and high house prices. That’s why the government needs to commit to building 145,000 social homes a year to fill the gap between supply and demand.

 ‘The demand for social housing is growing nearly six times faster than the rate of supply in rural areas. At current rates, the backlog of low-income families needing accommodation would take 121 years to clear. This is an utterly unsustainable situation and potentially selling off the few remaining housing association properties we do have will make a bad situation immeasurably worse.’

ALSO READ-Royal Navy ship makes historic visit to Canada

Categories
-Top News London News

COST OF FILLING CROSSES 3100

Rising petrol prices are putting pressure on household budgets, with energy bills and food prices also now at multi-year highs…reports Asian Lite News

Britain’s leading motoring forums urged the government to step into control the rising fuel prices.

The RAC motoring group called it “a truly dark day” as the cost of filling a 55-litre tank reached £100.27 for petrol and £103.43 for diesel. The RAC and its rival the AA urged the chancellor to cut VAT on fuel or to reduce fuel duty further.

Rising petrol prices are putting pressure on household budgets, with energy bills and food prices also now at multi-year highs, BBC reported.

Pump prices began to soar after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February led to oil supply fears. However, there are concerns that petrol retailers are not passing on a recent 5p cut in fuel duty to consumers.

According to the RAC, the average pump price of a litre of unleaded petrol is now 182.31p while for diesel it is 188.05p. However, the motoring group has warned this could rise to over £2 a litre soon. The Treasury said it had provided £37bn to ease the cost of living already.

TIPS TO BEAT THE FUEL PRICE HIKES

As households across the UK brace themselves for the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, CarStore’s Personal Advisors offer some tips to follow in order to improve fuel economy.

Mark Akbar, Managing Director at CarStore, said: “There are many different techniques and habits you can incorporate into everyday driving that will have a positive impact on your vehicle’s fuel economy. Try following even just a few of CarStore’s tips and tricks below and you may be pleasantly surprised just how much difference a change in driving style and habits can make to the miles per gallon you’ll achieve.”

Check your tyres & Tyre Pressures

One of the biggest factors in terms of fuel economy is the performance of your tyres – they are, after all, the only thing that connects your vehicle to the road. Having your vehicle’s tyres inflated to the correct pressures has a significant impact on your vehicle’s fuel economy. Under-inflated tyres can have a detrimental effect on your mpg by as much as -2.5%.

Always anticipate

Simply anticipating what is likely to happen in front of you when driving will greatly improve your efficiency as well as reduce wear and tear on your car’s brakes.  While maintaining your focus on the vehicle directly in front of you, take the time to look further ahead to see what’s going on. If there’s a red light, try to lift off the accelerator  a little earlier than you might normally, without taking it to extremes of course. If the lights change, you’ll still be rolling and you’ll spend less time getting up to speed, using less fuel in the process. Simply put, the less time you spend with your foot on the accelerator, the less fuel you will use.

Accelerate and Decelerate Smoothly

When the lights turn green, don’t stamp on the accelerator and get up to speed as fast as physically possible. Accelerate briskly but smoothly, reaching the desired speed in a reasonable time frame so as not to frustrate your fellow road users behind you. Don’t wait until the last minute to come to a standstill either, lift off the gas nice and early and brake gently until you come to a stop.

Remove Excess Weight

The heavier your car is, the more fuel it will use trying to get from A to B, so anything you can do to make it lighter will save you money. Roof boxes and bike racks are the main culprits, but simply having a good clear out of what’s in the backseat and the boot can have a positive impact as well.

Check Your Speed & Use Cruise Control

Always being mindful of the speed you’re travelling at is good, safe practice anyway, but it can help in terms of fuel economy too. Motorists should adhere to speed limits at all times so as they aren’t breaking the law, but saving money is another solid reason to do so. For instance, travelling above the national speed limit at 80mph instead of 70mph will use an extra 10% of fuel, as well as cost you extra money in speeding fines too. Cruise control only helps the situation too. Slowing down and speeding up increases fuel usage in a big way, so letting the car maintain the exact cruising speed for you whenever possible is simply the most efficient way to get around.

Use Your Gears Properly

It’s not part of the driving test to learn how to use your gears efficiently, you simply have to be able to use them to get the car to move at various speeds. However, to make the most out of every drop of fuel and maintain maximum efficiency, it’s vital that you’re always using the right gear at the right time. Be careful not to over-rev the engine, as this will use more fuel, and make sure you don’t labour the engine by being in a gear that’s too low for the speed and terrain. Generally, petrol cars are at their most economical between 1500 and 2500 rpm, so you should aim to change up to the next gear whenever you exceed the higher end of that band. For diesels, it’s between 1300 and 2000 rpm.

Service & Maintain Your Car

Ensuring that your vehicle is in tip-top mechanical shape is vital when making sure that fuel economy is as good as it can be. A car that has its engine serviced regularly and in line with service schedules using the correct parts, fluids and lubricants will work better and be more efficient than one that isn’t. It’ll be more reliable too. Wheel alignment (also known as tracking) can also have a negative effect on fuel economy too, and it can be knocked out by something as simple as a pot hole in the road, so make sure you get it checked regularly.

ALSO READ-Lankan PM cautions citizens on fuel usage