Kathmandu. The government led by Prime Minister BalendraShah has taken concrete steps of good governance to end the excessive exploitation of the limited resources of the state for years and administrative anomalies.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has started the process of taking back vehicles from the employees and officials who have been availing the facility of government vehicles on the basis of violation of the prevailing law. The Office has so far recalled 622 government vehicles from various ministries, bodies under them and constitutional commissions.

The preliminary investigation carried out by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat found that even though there is a legal provision that only the officials of the first class or above gazetted gazetted are entitled to the facility of government vehicles, even the employees and officials of the lower level are using four-wheelers on a large scale.

During the investigation, details of the vehicles used by the employees and officials of all the government bodies were sought. The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on April 23, 2083 issued a circular to all the ministries, bodies under them and constitutional commissions, directing them to immediately return all vehicles being used by employees and officials of the level that are not required to provide vehicles as per the prevailing law. On the basis of this directive, the vehicles being used against the law were returned.

No employee or official shall be allowed to use a government vehicle alone except as specified by law in the future. However, employees and officials of all levels will be allowed to use government vehicles en masse in special or uncomfortable situations.

A detailed study is also being conducted on the financial burden of using government vehicles against the law.The government has taken this step to reduce the burden on fuel, maintenance and facilities in view of the rising price of petroleum products in the international market and the economic situation of the country.

This campaign of the government to maintain administrative discipline by reducing unnecessary expenditure on the state coffers will add a new dimension in the direction of good governance.