The National Assembly Secretariat immediately implemented additional austerity measures to cut costs.
According to the announcement, 50 percent of the employees of the National Assembly Secretariat will work in the offices while 50 percent will work from home. Availability on telephone, email and WhatsApp has been made mandatory for the employees working from home, while if necessary, they will have to reach the office on 1 hour’s notice.
According to the announcement, 50 percent employees working from home will not be entitled to night allowance and overtime charges, employees will have to take permission from the competent authority before leaving the station.
The supply of fuel for the official vehicles of the National Assembly Secretariat has been reduced by 50%, this measure will be for 3 months, a complete ban has been imposed on the purchase of new vehicles.
It has been decided to reduce the non-ERE budget by 5% for the current financial year, while the meetings will preferably be held through video conferencing.
Meetings of Standing Committees will also be encouraged to be held in virtual mode and the number of meetings has been directed to be kept to minimum level.
According to the declaration, the purchase of all types of durable goods will be banned, however the purchase of IT equipment will be exempted from this ban.
A total ban on foreign trips and official travel expenses has been imposed for 3 months, except for scholarships and specific training programs from international development partners.
Apart from foreign delegations, the holding of official dinners has also been banned.
Government funded seminars, training programs and conferences will also not be held.
In the declaration, it has been directed that the auditorium, committee rooms and other government facilities should be used for unavoidable government events, and it has also been decided to adopt a paperless working environment in the National Assembly Secretariat to reduce costs.
According to the National Assembly Secretariat, additional austerity measures will come into effect immediately.