LAHORE – Senior Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa has said that the Punjab government has ensured fiscal discipline at every level so that maximum resources could be made available for welfare-oriented projects and wastage of national resources stopped. He was presiding over a meeting of the Provincial Austerity Committee at 90, The Mall on Wednesday.
He said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, the government saved Rs 2.8 billion in the head of current expenditures, and by restructuring various departments and abolishing unnecessary posts, the Punjab government will save more than Rs 6 billion. Khosa said that departments should follow fiscal discipline and they should spend their expenditures according to their budgeted resources.
He said the austerity drive was yielding positive results. He said, “We will not allow departments unnecessary expenditures, but in emergency, departments can demand a supplementary budget.” He directed the authorities not to approve programmes for which funds have not been allocated during the current fiscal year. He also took notice of the purchase of some items at a higher rate and directed the authorities to be careful in future.
