Turkmenistan to restrict free gas

The government of Turkmenistan -- the country that holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves -- will cut down the amounts of free natural gas 21 years after introducing free quotas of electricity, gas, water and salt for households. The subsidies started in 1993, when Turkmenistan's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, introduced free quotas of electricity, gas, water and salt for households after the country gained independence. The government will install devices that will track how much gas the citizens are using. Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov said the government would set a price for anyone who exceeds the limit can pay easily without giving an exact gas quota. Each family will be assigned a free limit based on how many individual lives in a family. In 2007, the country set a monthly limit of 120 free liters of gasoline per passenger car. The Central Asian nation also benefits 35 kWh of electricity per person per month, free of charge.