New Delhi:
The central government will not make new appointments in its departments and all officials, except top bureaucrats, will fly in economy class within India as part of small-bore austerity measures announced today.
It has also banned seminars and meetings in five-star hotels and purchase of new vehicles, at a time when government revenue growth has slowed down.
"Such measures are intended at promoting fiscal discipline, without restricting the operational efficiency of the government," a Finance Ministry statement said.
The austerity measures will include a 10 percent cut in non-plan expenditure, mainly the recurring spending of the government. That will exclude interest payment, repayment of debt, defence budget, salaries and the Pension Bill, the statement said.
It was not immediately clear how much the government would save through such measures, although the savings are not expected to be significant.
Last year, the government had announced similar austerity measures some months before the Finance Minister imposed wide-ranging spending cuts to meet a tough fiscal deficit target.