By IANS,
New Delhi : Heeding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s call for austerity measures following the hike in petroleum prices, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi Friday said he planned to travel by economic class on domestic tours and asked officers of his ministry to follow suit.
Dasmunsi also issued a set of directives asking his ministry officials for cutting down on expenditure that included officers going on foreign travels only when it was “absolutely required.”
The minister also asked the additional secretary and financial adviser of the ministry to prepare a status note “clearly highlighting the areas of non-plan expenditure” where an extra saving of five percent could be made in the current financial year.
The saving would be “over and above the standing circular of expenditure ministry for reducing non-plan expenditure by five percent every year”.
“So far as domestic travel is concerned, I will henceforth travel by economy class and it would be in the fitness of things if other officers of the ministry also follow suit,” Dasmunsi said in the circular.
The minister has also instructed that “bare minimum” number of officers should travel on domestic tours and advised them to travel by economy class.
In case of foreign tours, where the participation of ministry’s officials is not required, “then the views of the ministry may be sent to mission offices via email”, Dasmunsi said in the circular.
The exercise will include all the media units, public sector units, subordinate offices and attached offices of the ministry.