Bhubaneswar: Faced with an acute financial crunch in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Odisha government on Tuesday announced a slew of austerity measures for the next two years.
In a letter to the secretaries of all departments, Principal Secretary, Finance, Ashok Kumar Meena said that except the Health and Family Welfare Department, no new government posts will be created in the remaining departments. Besides, there will be no appointment for the posts that have been lying vacant for the last five years. In case there is an urgent need for creating posts, the concerned department will have to take prior permission from the Finance Department. The departments are not allowed to outsource jobs or appoint any employee post-retirement.
Other restrictions:
- No purchasing of new vehicles and no foreign trips at government expense
- No travelling on business class and first-class AC train ticket during official tours to neighbouring states
- No organising of meetings, seminars and workshops in star hotels at government expense and more emphasis on video conferencing
- Emphasis on paperless work and digital/e-signature
- No Leave Travel Concession (LTC) till March 31, 2022
- No sanction of advance money towards house building and purchase of personal vehicles and computers
- Cutting down of expenses for repair and renovation of offices, guest houses and government office buildings. Special sanction for such expenses beyond Rs 5 lakh.
