Prior Consent Required to Purchase Vehicles: Ministry of Finance

Prior consent from the Ministry of Finance has been made mandatory for purchasing new four-wheeler vehicles.

According to the 'Guidelines on the Implementation of the Current Fiscal Year's Budget' issued by the Ministry of Finance on Monday (yesterday), no vehicle can be purchased without obtaining prior consent. Prior consent from the ministry is also compulsory for foreign trips.

Additionally, rented properties can only be leased if government-owned buildings are unavailable. In such cases, only buildings located outside main commercial centers or primary thoroughfares that offer minimum required infrastructure and facilities should be rented.

The ministry stated that government bodies must prioritize utilizing vacant government buildings to carry out their official operations. The guidelines also specify that rented buildings must be used exclusively for government purposes.

Maximum austerity must be practiced across administrative expenses, including utilities (water, electricity, communication tariffs), house rent, fuel, maintenance, stationery and office supplies, allowances, training, seminars, service fees, and travel expenses.

Furthermore, potential financial risks that may arise during the implementation of projects and programs must be assessed, and risk mitigation measures must be adopted. According to Dr. Ghanshyam Upadhyay, Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, efforts must be made to significantly improve capital expenditure by developing a system to assess risks and strengthening financial risk management to ensure the effective execution of large infrastructure projects.