Curbs on foreign trips, focus on public transport: Gujarat govt issues measures to save fuel, forex

Participation in training programmes, seminars, study tours and conferences held abroad should also be avoided unless absolutely necessary, it said.Meetings outside Gujarat should be held online, and if travel is unavoidable, senior officers should ensure that their subordinates do not accompany them unless extremely necessary, according to the circular.Officers or employees should avoid official travel outside their respective district as far as possible.

The Gujarat government has announced measures, including curbs on official trips abroad and the use of technology to minimise travel, to regulate the use of fuel and foreign exchange in the wake of the West Asia crisis.

''In view of the prevailing global situation, the state government has decided to implement measures regarding the use of petrol, diesel and foreign exchange. The instructions issued should be followed with immediate effect,'' it said in an 11-point circular issued on Tuesday.

The government said its staff should avoid travel by maximising the use of technologies such as telephone, mobile, e-mail and video conferencing, except in extremely essential cases.

As per the circular, foreign tours should not be planned except under ''unavoidable circumstances''. Participation in training programmes, seminars, study tours and conferences held abroad should also be avoided unless absolutely necessary, it said.

Meetings outside Gujarat should be held online, and if travel is unavoidable, senior officers should ensure that their subordinates do not accompany them unless extremely necessary, according to the circular.

Officers or employees should avoid official travel outside their respective district as far as possible. If such travel becomes necessary, prior approval from the controlling authority must be obtained, it added.

All administrative departments and their subordinate offices should review the government vehicles available with them and keep surplus vehicles out of use, the circular said.

If any officer is holding additional charge of more than one office or government body, then, except for one primary vehicle, all additional government vehicles allotted to them ''must immediately be deposited in the Government Vehicle Pool'', it said.

The government has directed officials to prefer electric vehicles or hybrid models over those powered by fossil fuel if they have an option to choose. It also instructed them to use public transportation services such as Metro, state-run buses and trains to the extent possible.

All government canteens must obtain Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connectivity within the next six months, the circular noted.

Moreover, all government institutions have been instructed to strengthen procurement policies to prioritise indigenous goods, local products, MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and services of Indian origin.

Public awareness campaigns should be conducted to prevent panic buying and unnecessary hoarding arising due to the current global situation, the circular stated.

The government also said that programmes organised by various departments and their subordinate offices should be conducted in a simple manner, and inauguration events should preferably be held virtually.