In a move aimed at curbing misuse of government vehicles and tightening expenditure controls, the Ministry of Finance has barred senior bureaucrats from being allotted more than one official staff car,
even if they hold additional charge of another ministry, department, public sector undertaking (PSU) or autonomous body.
CNN-News18 has accessed an Office Memorandum (OM) issued by the Department of Expenditure recently, directing all ministries and departments to strictly enforce revised norms for the use of government vehicles.
The order states that an officer already entitled to an official staff car for his or her regular post “shall not be provided with an additional vehicle” while holding an additional charge in any other ministry, department, attached office, subordinate office, autonomous body or PSU.
The directive is aimed at optimising vehicle utilisation and preventing misuse of government vehicles. The ministry has also instructed that any unutilised vehicles should be kept in safe custody.
In another significant measure, the government has prohibited central government officials from keeping at their disposal staff cars belonging to government undertakings, quasi-government organisations, autonomous bodies or PSUs, except when they are on official tour.
The fresh instructions reinforce guidelines first issued by the Department of Expenditure in September 2022 on the use of staff cars in central government offices. The latest memorandum asks ministries and departments to ensure strict compliance with the revised norms.
The order has been circulated to all Union ministries and departments, financial advisers, and private secretaries to Union ministers.
The move reflects the Centre’s continuing focus on fiscal prudence and administrative efficiency by eliminating duplication in official vehicle allocation and ensuring that government resources are used only for authorised purposes.
Officials said the revised norms effectively establish a “one entitled officer, one official car” principle while plugging the practice of officers accessing multiple official vehicles through additional assignments or linked government organisations.
