Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has issued a fresh set of austerity measures aimed at ensuring fiscal prudence and administrative efficiency in view of the prevailing crisis in West Asia and the need for heightened administrative preparedness.
In an executive order issued by the Finance Department, the government directed all administrative departments and district administrations to strictly comply with the measures until further orders.
According to the order, the government has imposed a six-month ban on the purchase of new vehicles. Official vehicle movement within the state has also been directed to be minimised. Foreign visits by ministers and government officials, both official and private, have been deferred for six months except in cases involving national or strategic interests, education, medical emergencies, or visits to immediate family members abroad, subject to prior approval from the chief minister.
The order further stated that the convoy size of the Chief Minister, ministers and senior officials would be reduced without compromising security protocols. Non-essential official travel within and outside the state has also been restricted.
In a significant move, the government has restricted inter-district movement of CAPF and Assam Police personnel, making prior approval mandatory in urgent law-and-order situations. The Home and Political Department will issue detailed instructions in this regard.
The government has also ordered the immediate scrapping of old and obsolete government vehicles, while departments have been asked to prioritize electric vehicles for hiring purposes. Additionally, a 20 per cent reduction in expenditure on petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) has been mandated during the current financial year.
To curb unnecessary expenditures, departments have been advised to avoid large physical meetings, working lunches, official dinners, cultural functions, and entertainment expenses funded by the public purse. Non-essential training programmes and exposure visits involving travel have also been discouraged.
The order directs departments to use existing government buildings, seminar halls and auditoriums instead of constructing temporary pandals for official functions. A 10 percent cut in revenue and establishment expenditure has also been imposed for the current financial year compared to FY 2025–26, excluding salaries, pensions, debt repayment, and charged expenses.
For revenue generation, departments have been asked to revise and rationalise user charges, license fees, lease rents, and service charges wherever feasible. Government assets such as buildings and community halls constructed under various schemes are also to be commercially utilized to generate additional revenue. All such revenue-generating activities must be routed through the Electronic Government Receipt Accounting System (e-GRAS).
The government has further instructed departments to conduct energy audits in offices to reduce electricity wastage. Municipal authorities have also been asked to ensure economical power consumption, including avoiding unnecessary use of streetlights.
The order additionally promotes the use of public transport, carpooling and electric vehicles (EVs). The Transport Department has been asked to issue incentives for EV purchases and expand EV charging infrastructure across Assam. The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs has been directed to transition municipal public transport towards non-fossil fuel alternatives within the next 12 months, while the Guwahati Municipal Corporation has been tasked with moving towards a fully green public transport system.
Also Read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UAE visit seen as key move amid West Asia crisis