ISLAMABAD: The government has notified austerity measures, including complete ban on purchasing all types of new vehicles and creating new post (except required for development projects) owing to financial constraints.

The Finance Ministry notified the measures stated that owing to financial constraints the austerity measures have been enforced during the financial year 2021-22 with immediate effect.

There shall be complete ban on purchase of all types of vehicles both for current and development expenditure excluding motorcycles, student buses, ambulances, and firefighting vehicles.

There shall be complete ban on creation of new posts except those required for development projects and approved by the competent authority. Privilege of periodical magazines, newspapers etc to the entitled officers will remain restricted to only one.

Principal Accounting Officers (PAOs) will ensure rationalised utility consumption, ie, electricity, gas, telephone, water etc and the expenditure on purchase of assets, repair and maintenance and all other operational expenditures shall be kept at bare minimum level, while remaining within the budgetary allocation for the financial year.

Two sides of paper shall be used in all official communications. All outstation meetings be restricted through internet link (Zoom etc) only unless physical presence is strongly justified and approved by the competent authority.

In the above context, to cater with the indispensable needs of the ministries/divisions/ departments/organisations, etc, an Austerity Committee has been constituted comprising the following officers to review the critical/unavoidable/significant proposals only, in respect of ban on purchase of vehicles/creation of posts imposed.

(i) Additional Finance Secretary (Expenditure)(In Chair)

(ii) Senior Joint Secretary/Joint Secretary (Expenditure-CGA) (Member)

(iii) Senior Joint Secretary/Joint Secretary (Member)

(Expenditure-concerned Ministry/Division) Finance Division

(iv) Representative of the concerned Ministry/Division/Department (Not less than an officer in BS-20) (Member)

(v) Deputy Secretary (Expenditure-CGA) Secretary

All ministries/divisions have been directed to disseminate the instructions to all departments/organisations under their administrative control for strict compliance.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021