Assam Issues Executive Order Cutting Fuel Use 20% and Non‑salary Spending 10%

Overview

• The Finance Department issued the Executive Order on Monday directing a 20% cut in POL (petrol, oil and lubricants) spending and a 10% reduction in revenue and establishment expenditure for the current financial year.
• The measure exempts salaries, pensions, debt repayment and charged expenditure so statutory payments will not be touched.
• Short‑term operational limits include a six‑month deferment of most foreign visits by ministers and officials, a six‑month ban on new official vehicle purchases, reduced convoy sizes and restricted inter‑district movement of CAPF and Assam Police subject to government approval.
• Departments must push green mobility and efficiency by prioritising electric vehicles for hires, building EV charging infrastructure, moving municipal public transport away from fossil fuels within 12 months, and carrying out office energy audits.
• To raise receipts the order directs revision of user charges, commercial use of government assets and exclusive routing of revenue through the e‑GRAS electronic receipts system which officials will detail through follow‑up notifications.