Sri Lanka’s fuel QR system will be enforced more rigorously in the coming months to curb rising consumption and ease pressure on the economy, Minister of Energy Anura Karunathilake announced today (01).

Addressing the media, the Minister said that while the QR and quota systems had already reduced fuel usage to some extent, demand still exceeds the country’s capacity. 

“With this global crisis dragging on continuously, we have a great need to reduce fuel consumption. Through the QR system and quota system, we were able to achieve a considerable reduction, but still this has not reached the level required by the country,” he said.

He noted that global fuel price hikes have forced Sri Lanka to spend significant amounts of foreign exchange, including USD 186 million in January, USD 97 million in February, and USD 524 million in May alone.

Karunathilake warned that continuing at this pace would be unsustainable, stressing the need to cut consumption to reduce the outflow of dollars and protect the wider economy. 

He added that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, together with the Ministry of Digital Technology, will take steps to tighten enforcement of the QR system.

“We believe that by strictly implementing the QR mechanism, fuel consumption can be reduced during this crisis period, thereby mitigating the impact on the national economy,” the Minister added. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka will continue to enforce the QR code system for fuel distribution as part of measures to manage consumption, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told Parliament today.

He noted that restrictions on fuel supplies were introduced in mid‑March 2026 in response to the ongoing Middle East conflict, and the QR system was implemented to regulate access. 

“It will continue further, with the aim of managing and reducing fuel consumption,” Fernando said.

The Deputy Minister made the remarks in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. (Newswire)

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The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that the temporary concession allowing vehicle owners to obtain fuel without a QR code will expire at midnight on Saturday (April 18).

According to the CPC, from tomorrow, the QR code system will once again be mandatory for fuel distribution across the country.

The concession was introduced as a short‑term measure to ease access during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festive season. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Digital Economy has warned the public not to create QR codes using vehicle data that does not belong to them.

Addressing the media on Thursday (26), Ministry Advisor Sumudu Ratnayake further cautioned against cancelling another individual’s QR code and re‑using it under one’s own details.

“We have all the data with us now. We are able to monitor which number was used to override which QR code, at which fuel station it was used, and at what time,” he explained.

Ratnayake added that the Police have already arrested individuals engaged in such practices, using both system data and CCTV footage as evidence. (Newswire)

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Fuel distribution under the QR system based on the last digit of vehicle number plates commenced today (19).

According to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), vehicles with number plates ending in odd digits (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) will be eligible to obtain fuel today, as it falls on an odd date. 

Plates ending in even digits or zero will be permitted to access fuel on even dates.

CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna further noted that individuals who have not yet received their fuel quota under the QR system will also be allowed to obtain fuel today, irrespective of the odd‑even arrangement.

Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Traffic has instructed vehicle owners to present one of the following documents when required to confirm identity: the revenue license, registration certificate, insurance certificate, or emission test certificate.

The department explained that due to production issues, number plates were not issued in recent months, prompting some owners to use alternative plates. The new measure aims to streamline distribution and prevent misuse. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Digital Economy has introduced a new “Override” feature to address challenges vehicle owners face in obtaining fuel QR codes. 

This option allows users to cancel previous registrations and re-register using a new mobile number, provided they provide accurate vehicle and chassis details.

Eligibility and key requirements;

• The vehicle and chassis numbers must be entered correctly to confirm identity.
• Applicable only for vehicles registered for fuel QR codes before March 14, 2026.
• Existing registration under another mobile number can be cancelled and replaced with a new registration under the rightful owner’s number.
• Selecting the “Override” option will immediately remove the old account and activate a new one with the updated details.

Officials explained that once the override process is complete, the previous user will lose access and privileges associated with that vehicle’s QR code. 

The new feature ensures rightful owners can obtain their QR codes without obstruction, even if earlier registrations were associated with inactive or third‑party mobile numbers.

The ministry further warned that attempting to remove data from a vehicle without legal ownership rights constitutes a punishable offence. 

This safeguard aims to prevent misuse while ensuring genuine owners can access their entitlements seamlessly, it added. (Newswire)

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The Cabinet of Ministers has approved introducing a QR system or a suitable digital method for the distribution of fertilizer subsidies for farmers. 

According to the government, this approach ensures that subsidies are delivered on time and that the financial support is fully utilized by farmers for their agricultural fertilizer needs. 

The need to guarantee both timely delivery and proper usage has been emphasized. To make the distribution process more efficient and systematic, the use of QR codes or other suitable digital methods has been identified as essential.

Under this initiative, all eligible farmers will be identified by regional officers operating under the Ministry of Agriculture. Once verified, fertilizer subsidies will be provided using a QR-based or appropriate digital system. 

The proposal in this regard, put forward by the President and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation, has received Cabinet approval. (Newswire)

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The process of collecting PET plastic bottles for the purpose of recycling based on a QR code has been taken up for discussion at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development.

According to a Parliament statement, the matter was discussed when the Parliamentary Committee convened recently (July 12) under the Chairmanship of MP Ajith Mannapperuma.

At the discussion, MP Ajith Mannapperuma said although 450,000 tons of plastic are imported into the country each year, only 50,000 tons are collected for recycling and a large amount of plastic is burnt in the open environment in the country.

Emphasizing that attention should be mainly directed to PET plastic, he said although approximately 1200 tons of PET plastic is used in this country per month, only 400 tons of it is recycled, and the remaining 900 tons are improperly released into the environment. 

It was also highlighted that the said plastic is left in the rivers and canals, is burned in the open environment and is buried in the soil. It was disclosed that the main reason for not collecting PET plastic bottles is because the public is not interested in collecting them due to the lack of price for the bottles.

Given the existing context about PET plastic bottles, newspaper advertisements were published, calling before July 18, technical and financial-oriented proposals from industrialists in the field and parties who have an understanding of this issue regarding a method of returning deposits for PET plastic bottles based on a QR code. 

However, the industrialists in the field and parties present had pointed out that the period given for that is insufficient and had requested the Committee to extend the time given to submit proposals and make the Extended Producer Responsibility system mandatory.

The Committee, which discussed the matter at length with all present, recommended having the period for receiving proposals extended from July 18th to August 27th and making the Extended Producer Responsibility system mandatory.

Moreover, officials of the Ministry of Environment were instructed to do a study and report to the Committee regarding the methods followed in other countries of the world regarding the collection of PET plastic bottles for recycling based on a QR code. (Newswire)

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The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has launched a project to issue driving licences that replace the existing semiconductor chips with QR codes, it was reported.

According to media reports, DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe said the project to introduce digital or smart driving licences was launched after receiving Cabinet approval in October. 

Providing further details, Weerasinghe said the printing process commenced on October 16 after the Sri Lanka Army handed over the printing and issuing of driving licences back to the DMT.

A decision was taken to replace the semiconductor chips with a QR code due to difficulties in importing chip reading units as a result of the economic crisis. A separate mobile application has been introduced for the QR codes which will be operated only by the DMT office and the Police Department, he said. 

Weerasinghe added that the demerit points system for traffic offences has also been included in the smart driving licences. (NewsWire)

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Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has refuted reports circulating pertaining to the suspension of the National Fuel Pass QR system.

Earlier, NewsFirst had reported citing Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) sources that measures are being taken to end the QR code fuel rationing system from the 10th of April.

However, Minister Kanchana WIjesekera has refuted the report, stating that no decision has been taken to suspend the National Fuel Pass QR system from 10th April. 

He further stated that the National Fuel Pass data will be analyzed to gradually increase the quotas allocated. 

Decisions on the system will be taken in consultation with the Finance Ministry and other stakeholders in the next few months, the minister added in a Twitter message.

The National Fuel Pass QR system was introduced last year (2022) to mitigate the fuel crisis in Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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