The Chhattisgarh government has issued a fresh austerity drive across all departments, imposing restrictions on foreign travel at state expense, limiting the number of convoy vehicles, and promoting virtual meetings, e-office, and vehicle pooling to reduce public expenditure.
Key Measures Announced
The finance department issued the order on Saturday, stating that the measures are effective immediately to ensure "efficient management of financial resources" and discipline in government spending. These restrictions will remain in force until September 30, 2026.
Under the new guidelines, only essential vehicles will be permitted in the convoys of the chief minister, ministers, and office-bearers of corporations, boards, and commissions. Departments have been instructed to minimize petrol and diesel expenses and adopt vehicle pooling for officials traveling to the same destination.
Shift to Electric Vehicles
The government has directed departments to gradually replace official vehicles with electric vehicles, linking this move to both fuel savings and environmental goals.
Focus on Financial Discipline
The austerity drive aims to cut public expenditure, curb "avoidable" spending, and tighten financial discipline across departments, officials said. The government has positioned the move as an attempt to ensure efficient management of financial resources and improve administrative accountability. All departments, divisional commissioners, collectors, and heads of departments have been asked to strictly regulate the use of public resources and avoid unnecessary expenditure.
Overseas visits will now be permitted only under "extremely unavoidable circumstances" and with prior approval from the chief minister, according to officials.
Virtual Meetings Encouraged
The government has moved to cut meeting-related expenditure by encouraging virtual reviews and online conferences. Physical meetings are advised to be restricted, as far as possible, to once a month, while routine departmental review meetings are to be conducted through video conferencing.
Offices have also been directed to strictly enforce energy-saving practices. All electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners, and computers, must be switched off after office hours to prevent wastage of electricity in government buildings.
Paperless Governance Push
The finance department has accelerated its push towards paperless governance. Printed files, booklets, and documents used in meetings are to be replaced with digital formats such as PDFs and presentations. All official correspondence and file movement will be routed through e-office platforms to reduce paper and stationery costs.
For employee training, departments have been asked to maximize use of the iGOT Karmayogi portal instead of organizing physical training programs. Departments will also have to upload their training modules online.
Finance secretary Rohit Yadav, who issued the directive, said the measures are intended not only to reduce government expenditure but also to improve efficiency and accountability in administration.
The move comes at a time when several state governments are increasingly leaning on digital governance and cost-rationalization measures amid pressure to optimize public spending while maintaining capital and welfare outlays.
