Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity and efficient use of resources, the Gujarat government has introduced a series of measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption, conserving resources and improving administrative efficiency.
The decisions were taken under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi. Addressing the media after the State Cabinet meeting on Friday, government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani detailed the new initiatives.
Under the new guidelines, government departments have been instructed to undertake official travel only when necessary. Officials have been advised to rely more on video conferencing, telephone and e-mail communication to minimise unnecessary movement.
Regional officers will attend meetings virtually wherever possible, while meetings organised by the Centre or other states should also preferably be attended online. Foreign visits and participation in international seminars, conferences and training programmes will be avoided unless unavoidable.
Senior officers have also been directed not to travel with excess accompanying staff. Officials have been advised to avoid travelling outside their districts unless essential and to inform controlling authorities before such visits.
The government will also review the use of official vehicles. Departments have been asked to identify and remove surplus vehicles, while officers handling multiple responsibilities will have to surrender extra vehicles and retain only one under the Government Vehicle Pool system.
To encourage sustainable transport, officials have been asked to use electric or hybrid vehicles wherever available. Employees and officers have also been encouraged to use public transport such as metro services, state transport buses and railways instead of private vehicles.
As part of this push, metro services across the state will now operate till 11 pm to improve public convenience.
The government has further decided to prioritise indigenous products, locally manufactured goods and MSMEs in procurement policies. Official functions and programmes will also be conducted in a simpler manner, with greater use of virtual inaugurations and online participation.
In another major decision, all government canteens will be required to install Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections within the next six months.
The state also plans to launch a public awareness campaign urging people not to engage in panic buying or unnecessary hoarding of resources.
Appealing to citizens to remain calm, the minister said Gujarat had shown strong public cooperation during the Covid period and expressed confidence that people would once again support the measures in the larger national interest.
According to the government, the steps have been introduced in view of the current global situation and are aimed at reducing petrol, diesel and foreign exchange consumption while protecting the environment and reducing pressure on the public exchequer.