Bhubaneswar: In a move to reduce the impact of rising fuel prices amid West Asia conflict, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday prescribed a comprehensive 8-point directive aimed at drastically cutting down petrol and diesel consumption in all government departments.
Having already halved the number of vehicles in his own official convoy and appealed to the public to curb unnecessary fuel use, the Chief Minister is now keen to drastically change the way of functioning of all government departments by using technology, and electric mobility.
CM Majhi has now instructed the Chief Secretary to enforce these measures strictly from the State Secretariat down to block-level offices, public sector undertakings, universities, and all government institutions.
Highlights of the 8-point plan:
1. All non-essential government meetings, reviews, trainings, and workshops will shift to virtual mode. Where physical presence is unavoidable, only essential officers will attend in person, while others join online.
2. Every new two-wheeler and four-wheeler purchased by government offices must be electric (EV). The same rule applies to rented four-wheelers. Petrol or diesel vehicles will be allowed only in rare, specially justified cases.
3. Officers entitled to official cars for personal use will now share vehicles (carpooling). Fuel quotas for such cars will be halved immediately.
4. The Finance Department has been given 15 days to issue fresh guidelines specifying which senior officers can use government vehicles for personal purposes.
5. Officials undertaking field visits or inspections must prefer buses or trains over cars or flights wherever possible.
6. Officers owning their own electric vehicles will soon receive guidelines on how they can use them for government duties and claim reimbursement.
7. Electric buses or minibuses will be introduced to ferry employees from residential colonies with high concentrations of government staff.
8. Every government office must ensure at least a 10% drop in monthly petrol and diesel consumption for official vehicles through conscious planning and monitoring.
The Chief Minister has directed that these instructions be implemented with ‘zero tolerance’ across the entire administrative machinery.
