In the wake of the serious financial constraints, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced austerity measures, which also included 25 per cent cut on schemes projected in the Annual Development Program (ADP) for the current financial year.
KP government’s finance development, through a notification No BO (W&M)/1-1/FD/2017-18. Dated 12th September, announced the austerity measures, “in order to streamline the management in public account and observe fiscal discipline in expenditures. The authority approved the additional austerity measures for the current financial year 2017-2018.”
“These additional measures will be applicable till the improvement of ways.”
The austerity measures, according to official notifications, included, 1) Complete ban on purchase of plant, machinery, vehicles, equipment and hiring for development projects, 2) Complete ban on further recruitments, upgrading, restructuring of posts or grant of any additional allowances etc, 3) Ban on maintenance and repairing of government building, except flood affected ones, 4) Complete ban on other non-development schemes, 5) Releases of development budget may be restricted to the bare minimum on case to case basis, 6) Cut of 25 per cent in the budget allocations across the board, 7) 25 per cent reduction in POL ceilings of all elected public functionaries and government functionaries and ban on use of un-authorised vehicles and air conditions etc.
In this respect, the finance department, through its notification, called upon all administrative secretaries, commissioners, Peshawar High Court registrar, Public Service Commission chairman, all deputy commissioners, district and session judges to help in implementation of the austerity measures.