The government has slashed the travel allowance of civil servants by 50 percent aiming at saving funds as part of austerity measures to fight against coronavirus pandemic.
Finance Division on Sunday issued a circular, signed by the deputy secretary Md Tawhidul Islam, asked the authorities concerned to cut the travel allowance under an operating and development budget.
An official of the division said, “As part of the austerity move of the government the travel allowance of civil servants is reduced.”
But the essential travels are not part of this austerity measures for 2020-21 fiscal year, he added.
According to the circular, routine travel, for example, the yearly visit of the finance minister to World Bank headquarters, to be banned for government staffers.
Curtailment of the travel allowance will come into effect immediately, it said.
Finance Division sources said the total amount of travel allowance Tk 2,200 crore.
Last week, the government banned car purchase until December. The government has imposed a ban on buying vehicles for all its officials until December 31.
Around 40-50 cars are purchased for a big project. Over 50 vehicles have been purchased for the Padma Bridge project. The number of vehicles for the Chattogram-Dohazari Rail Link Project is more than 40. And for a small project the number slips down to two or three.
According to the officials of the Planning Commission, 10 vehicles are bought on average for a project.
