PM Shehbaz approves nationwide austerity and fuel conservation campaign 

Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved a countrywide austerity and fuel-conservation campaign as international oil prices continue to climb amid the prevailing tensions in the Middle East.

The decision was made at a meeting in Islamabad chaired by the prime minister, where measures aimed at cutting expenses and conserving energy were reviewed.

PM Shehbaz directed all relevant institutions to put the approved steps into effect without delay, stressing the need to eliminate avoidable government spending and make careful use of public resources.

The prime minister observed that the surge in international oil prices has added to inflationary challenges being faced globally.

He maintained that the government and the elite should be the first to bear the burden and make necessary sacrifices.

During the meeting, PM Shehbaz also pointed to the fuel subsidy initiative already introduced for financially vulnerable and middle-income citizens, as under the scheme, owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and cars with engines of up to 800cc are receiving a subsidy of Rs100 per litre.

The meeting agreed to halve fuel allocations for government vehicles for the next three months. Vehicles used by ambulances, fire services, law enforcement bodies and other essential services will be excluded from the cut. However, administrative and non-operational vehicles will not qualify for any exemption.

A further decision was taken to reduce the Non-ERE Budget by 5 percent for the ongoing fiscal year. The government has also prohibited the procurement of new vehicles of any kind, while purchases of durable goods have been stopped, apart from equipment required for information technology.

Foreign travel for official purposes has been suspended for three months. If an overseas trip is deemed unavoidable, ministers, advisers, ministers of state, special assistants and other government officials will be required to use economy-class travel.

The meeting also directed government institutions to rely as much as possible on video conferencing and teleconferencing for official engagements while government-hosted dinners will not be permitted, except where such events are essential for receiving foreign delegations.

Officials were also instructed to avoid spending unnecessarily on seminars, training sessions and conferences sponsored by the government.

The existing single-dish policy will continue to be enforced at weddings and other functions.

As per the official notification, shops, markets, shopping malls, bazaars and other general commercial centres will be required to close by 9 pm, while marriage halls and other event venues will shut by 10 pm, while restaurants, cafes, food outlets and standalone fruit and vegetable shops will remain open until 11pm.

The restrictions will not apply to pharmacies, medical centres, hospitals, bakeries, petrol and CNG stations, electric vehicle charging facilities, gyms, sports centres, IT firms and call centres.

During the meeting, PM Shehbaz was briefed that the committee tasked with overseeing austerity and fuel conservation would collect progress reports from ministries, divisions, departments, public-sector organisations and provincial governments.

The committee will review cases where the measures are not being followed, identify difficulties in implementation, suggest remedial steps and present a progress update to the prime minister every week.

The prime minister ordered that the austerity measures be enforced equally across the board and directed authorities to take every feasible step to bring down government expenditure while conserving fuel and energy.

The federal government has already approved the continuation of austerity measures currently applicable during the ongoing financial year.

The newly reiterated measures will also apply to attached departments, state-owned entities, statutory bodies and regulatory authorities of the federal government.