Govt cuts fuel allocations for official vehicles by 50% amid fresh austerity measures

The federal government on Thursday announced a fresh set of fuel conservation and austerity measures, including a 50 per cent cut in fuel allocations for official vehicles and a five per cent reduction in non-employee-related expenditure for the current fiscal year. The measures, notified by the Cabinet Division with immediate effect, will remain in force for varying periods. The fuel reduction and restrictions on foreign travel will apply for three months. According to a notification issued by Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, fuel allocations for official vehicles will be reduced by 50 per cent for three months. Operational vehicles of the armed forces, civil armed forces, law enforcement agencies, essential services and the Federal Board of Revenue have been exempted from the measure. However, the restriction will apply to vehicles used by the administrative and non-operational formations of these entities. Development projects have also been exempted from the fuel conservation measure, according to the notification.   The story is being updated.