Bringing into force austerity measures in government apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir,Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has banned parties by ministers,purchase of new furnitures and put curbs on usage of telephones by officers. Ordering a series of austerity measures,the state government's Finance department has ordered that ban has been placed on official dinners and lunches,except those hosted by the Chief Minister or with specific approval of the CM. The government also put a ban on purchase of furniture,fixture and furnishings,except in case of newly established offices,an official spokesman said here. However,the purchase of furniture for new offices would be made after concurrence of the administrative department and only upto a limit of Rs one lakh,the spokesman said adding that beyond this amount,the department concerned had to take approval of the finance department. The government also curbed expenditure on residential and mobile telephones of bureaucrats,saying it should be monitored strictly in accordance with the maximum limit,which has been reduced by 10 percent from this month,he said. The government ordered that Director Garages would strictly monitor allotment of vehicles to only such officers who are entitled to it.
