Vehicles grounded, foreign travel suspended and staff moved online as government expands cost-cutting efforts
ISLAMABAD:
Following the directives of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the NA Secretariat on Wednesday introduced austerity measures in line with the ongoing cost-cutting drive due to the Middle East conflict.
Under the new measures, 70% of government vehicles will not be in service, while members of the National Assembly will face a 25% reduction in their salaries and allowances for the next two months. Foreign trips by parliamentary delegations have been completely suspended.
Senior civil servants, including those at grade 20 or earning a monthly salary of Rs 300,000 or more, will be required to pay two days’ salary to the national treasury.
All non-essential purchases at the Secretariat have been halted, with purchases limited to essential daily needs. Meetings of the National Assembly and committees must now be scheduled before sunset.
80 percent of Secretariat staff will work virtually from home, and no additional allowances will be given to home-based staff to enforce austerity. Meetings of standing committees will be held online and the National Assembly will operate on a four-day working week.
Read: Government declares Friday holiday to save energy
The policy also limits committee meetings, reduces electricity consumption by 70% and requires turning off lights and non-essential electrical equipment. Cafeteria utility bills are expected to see a 70% reduction.
To further reduce traditional expenses, the Secretariat will adopt paperless working practices. Officials say the measures aim to promote efficiency while ensuring responsible use of public funds.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced a four-day work week and a work-from-home policy as part of sweeping austerity measures in light of the fuel crisis caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
The prime minister said cabinet members, including ministers, advisers and special assistants, would not receive their salaries for two months, while MPs’ salaries would be cut by 25%.
“Expenditures of all government departments, except salaries, will be reduced by 20%,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said senior government officials of grade 20 and above, earning more than Rs 300,000 per month, would be deducted two days’ salary, which would be used to provide relief to the public.
The government sharply increased diesel and petrol prices by Rs 55 per liter, or 20%, on Friday – marking the first in a series of similar increases expected in the coming days due to the ongoing conflict.
The increase in gasoline prices was greater than in international markets, as the government chose to collect more money than necessary from motorcyclists and car owners to subsidize the use of diesel, mainly in the public transport and agriculture sectors.
