Ministries’ budgets slashed by 40%

Ministry of finance slashes budgets of ministries and divisions by up to 40 per cent under fiscal austerity policy.

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of finance has slashed the budgets of all ministries and divisions by up to 40 per cent under its fiscal austerity policy. Subsequently, all ministries and divisions have been instructed to reduce expenditures by at least as much.

A senior officer of the ministry of finance informed The Express Tribune that the ministry has set up a high-level committee to oversee the reduction in frivolous expenditures of the federal government, including unnecessary  use of cars by ministries.

The committee will monitor bills sent to the finance ministry by other ministries and divisions and will be allowed to conduct raids. Furthermore, the committee will form sub-committees in various ministries, which will be responsible for bills sent by their respective ministries.

The sub-committees will be composed of the ministry’s officials and will be responsible for, and have the right to request information and documents regarding these expenditures. Based on this intelligence, the committee can then conduct raids on the ministry regarding bills with suspiciously high expenditures.

The ministry of finance has also instructed all divisions and ministries to reduce expenditure on fuel and requested a report on those officials using more than one car so that proceedings may be initiated against them.

Sources said that the ministry of finance is aware of the fact that officials in various ministries have been using three to four cars on the government’s payroll but have only one car listed under their name on paper.

Sources said the ministry has also decided to form a secret investigation team to halt the wrongful use of official cars. The ministry is also considering employing the services of peace-keeping units to develop a report on the amount of cars being used and the amount of fuel consumed by each official, said the sources, adding that action will be taken against such officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2010.