Gandhinagar, May 15 (IANS). The Gujarat government has announced a series of measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption, government spending and foreign exchange outflow, as well as increasing virtual administration across all departments and use of public transport.
The decisions were announced at a state cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi on Friday, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for judicious use of resources.
Addressing the media after the meeting, state government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the state has decided to implement several administrative measures in view of the prevailing global situation and in the interest of conserving resources. The state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is committed to protecting both the environment and the exchequer.
As per the new guidelines, travel for government work will now be done only when necessary.
Officials have been instructed to avoid direct travel as far as possible and instead make maximum use of video conferencing, telephone and email for official work.
Departments have also been instructed not to call ground level officials for meetings unless it is necessary, and instead hold discussions through virtual platforms.
Officials attending meetings organized by the Central or other State Governments have also been similarly advised to participate online as far as possible.
The state government has also decided that foreign trips, foreign training programmes, seminars and conferences should be avoided except in unavoidable circumstances.
Where travel outside Gujarat becomes mandatory, senior officials have been directed not to take non-essential staff with them.
Officials have also been advised to avoid traveling from one district to another for government work as far as possible.
If such travel is unavoidable, they must inform their controlling officer before departure.
–IANS
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