Under tremendous pressure from the IMF, the coalition government mandated former civil servant Nasir Mahmood Khosa to propose austerity measures aimed at cutting non-developmental government expenditure. Accordingly, several austerity measures were announced by the government including all federal cabinet members, advisers, and special assistants forgoing salaries and other privileges, all cabinet members to pay their own utility bills along with returning all luxury vehicles that will be auctioned.
Moreover, only one security vehicle will be provided to cabinet members when needed and cabinet members and government officers to travel in the economy for domestic, and foreign trips not taken with their support staff. Cabinet members will not stay in five-star hotels during foreign visits. In addition, all divisions, departments, subordinates, and other government entities under the federal government will slash current expenditures by 15 percent.
Teleconferencing will be promoted to reduce traveling expenses. No administrative unit or division or subdivision is to be created for the next two years. Purchasing luxury items, all types of vehicles banned till June 2024, and official vehicles being used by government officers availing monetization scheme will be recalled. An extremely interesting measure was also announced that government employees to not be allotted more than one plot. Let’s see what comes out of the exercise. The Weekender