National austerity action plan decided in Prime Minister-led meeting

ISLAMABAD: A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the national austerity policy in the context of the regional and global situation.

According to sources, in the meeting, the members of the federal cabinet decided not to take two months’ salary.

Sources say that the final action plan was decided in the meeting based on suggestions and recommendations based on austerity and simplicity, and all government employees and ministers were advised to adopt simplicity and frugality.

The meeting prepared a plan not to apply the instructions related to austerity and savings to the industrial and agricultural sectors, while it was decided to continuously monitor supply and demand for saving government resources and efficient use of energy.

The Prime Minister directed that there should be no disruption in work from home and digital connectivity and that those working online should be provided with uninterrupted internet facilities.

The Chief Ministers of all four provinces and the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir participated in the meeting through video link.

Punjab School Holidays

Earlier, the Punjab and Balochistan governments had declared school holidays through their Monday announcement, which cites extraordinary economic challenges that resulted from the latest regional conflicts.

The Punjab government has declared that all educational institutions will remain closed from March 10 until March 31. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, stated through a public announcement that schools will conduct scheduled exams while educational institutions will provide online classes.

The Chief Minister has ordered an immediate suspension of government fuel distribution to provincial ministers until the petroleum crisis concludes.

The government has instituted a 50 percent cutback on petrol and diesel allowances, which officials will receive for their vehicle use. The government has enacted a prohibition against the use of protocol vehicles that would normally accompany provincial ministers and high-ranking government officials throughout the nation.

The statement explained that only one vehicle will be used to escort provincial ministers and high-ranking government officials for necessary security purposes.

Balochistan School Holidays

The Balochistan Education Department (Schools) has ordered an immediate shutdown of all public and private schools throughout the province.

The notification stated that all educational institutions within the province will remain closed from March 9 to March 23. The authorities made this decision because of the current regional situation, which requires them to prepare for possible emergency situations.