Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa has said that the Punjab government has reduced non-developmental expenditure by Rs 6.1 billion during the current fiscal year through the merger of various departments, abolishment of unnecessary posts and curtailment of non-salary budget and no department can purchase any item or furniture without the permission of the Austerity Committee.
He was presiding over a meeting of the committee regarding strategy for curtailing non-developmental expenditure and optimum utilization of development expenditure at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam on Thursday. Provincial Minister for Law Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Secretaries of Finance, Planning & Development, Agriculture and Excise & Taxation departments and other officers were present on the ocassion.
Khosa directed all departments to prepare their recommendations for curtailing their expenditure. It was informed in the meeting that the project allowance has been abolished for the Punjab government employees and now such employees would get deputation allowance.
Provincial Minister for Law Rana Sana Ullah Khan said there was a dire need to improve service delivery system in government departments, enhance resources and improve tax collection system. He said he was against the use of discretionary powers because he believed that discretionary powers were misused. Various proposals for curtailing non-developmental expenditure and improving service delivery system were discussed in the meeting.
