3 min readJaipurMay 23, 2026 07:59 PM IST
In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity call amid the West Asia conflict, the Rajasthan government has announced a slew of measures for the “efficient management of resources and financial discipline”, including prohibiting foreign travel on government expenditure, switching to electric vehicles in a phased manner, giving preference to car-pooling, and prioritising video conferencing.
Citing Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, who has limited the number of vehicles in his cavalcade, the circular issued by the Finance Department has asked ministers and officials of corporations, commissions and other bodies to “use only the minimum number of vehicles necessary for their motorcades”.
It has asked all concerned officials to take necessary action “to convert all petrol/diesel government vehicles to electric vehicles in a phased manner. In the first phase, new vehicles purchased for officers whose normal work is within the city will be e-vehicles.” Additionally, for vehicles hired on a contractual basis, preference will be given to the use of e-vehicles in a phased manner.
The government has also asked departments to prepare a time-bound action plan for setting up e-vehicle charging infrastructure in the state, assuring that all pending proposals will be approved immediately as per rules. It has also requested officials and employees travelling towards the same destination to “give priority to car-pooling in their government/contract/private vehicles”.
As for government programmes, the Sharma government has directed all departments to organise such events in government buildings and stated that “meetings should be conducted through video conferencing as far as possible”.
With physical files continuing to make up a large chunk of government correspondence, the state has asked that “the use of e-office and e-files between various offices should be ensured”, directing bureaucrats and employees to prioritise the state government’s Rajkaj portal “instead of physical correspondence”.
With many employees still unfamiliar with the system, departments have been asked to provide “online training wherever possible, instead of physical training programmes”, directing them to the Union government’s iGOT Karmayogi portal for such training.
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The Energy Department has been instructed to prioritise the installation of domestic solar power plants under the PM Suryaghar Yojana for domestic electricity consumers, while the Agriculture Department has been directed to launch a special campaign to promote “natural, organic and sustainable agriculture”, encourage Agri-Stack registration, minimise the use of urea for non-agricultural purposes, and ensure the justified use of fertilisers.
Other measures include ensuring the installation of solar power plants in government buildings, using electrical appliances sparingly during office hours and switching them off after work hours, and fixing responsibility on the Secretary in charge or the head of the concerned department for “strict compliance” with the guidelines.
The Sharma government said the guidelines would apply not only to departments, but also to public sector undertakings, companies, boards, universities, aided institutions, bodies and all institutions financially or partially dependent on the state government. For autonomous institutions, PSUs and universities, the chief executive officer or head of institution will be responsible for compliance.
The directions, issued by Vaibhav Galriya, Principal Secretary, Finance, state that in urgent cases, the Finance Department may relax these restrictions “on receipt of proposals from the departments with full justification”.
