Goa CM bans foreign tours, recruitment as austerity drive

In order to create finances available for Covid-19 related relief work, the Goa cabinet has resolved to curtail expenditure through string of austerity measures, which include a blanket ban on new hiring, unnecessary foreign and domestic tours, business class travel and deferring all works till December 2020, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Wednesday.

Sawant also said, that any expenses related to the above budget heads would have to be cleared by the Chief Minister's Office henceforth.

"The cabinet has resolved to defer expenditure sanction for all capital works which have been granted administrative approval for all state government departments, autonomous bodies, state PSUs and local bodies till December 2020, except for those which are partly or wholly funded by the central government," Sawant told reporters at the State Secretariat on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister also said, that all recruitment by government departments, autonomous bodies, state public sector units and local bodies which receive grants from the state had also been frozen till the end of the year, along with a similar ban on non essential domestic and foreign tours.

"Travel by economy class has been made compulsory for all elected representatives, officials of government departments, autonomous bodies, state PSUs, local bodies till December 2020," Sawant said, adding that hiring of new vehicles had been banned along with a ban on purchase of furniture, electrical equipment, computers, copiers, air conditioners, phone instruments, etc.

"For purchase of any of these on urgent basis, prior approval should be taken from the CMO by justifying the proposal in detail, after which proposal would be forwarded to Finance department for expenditure sanction," the Chief Minister said.

Along with the Goa government, Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik has already introduced austerity measures at the Raj Bhavan to curtail costs and pool the financial resources in the state's fight against the scourge of Covid-19.