Union minister Jitendra Singh lauds DoPT for reducing wasteful expenditure

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Union minister Jitendra Singh Friday lauded the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for reducing wasteful expenditure.

He said the DoPT has brought about over 65 percent saving in departmental expenditure during April-June quarter of 2021 in comparison to the corresponding quarter in 2020, according to an official statement.

This is well above 20 per cent wasteful reduction stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, it said.

The savings accrued under foreign travel (100%), domestic travel (60.20%), administrative Expenses (85.84%) and publication (79.16%) heads, it said.

In a comprehensive review meeting of the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, ahead of parliament session beginning Monday, Singh lauded the role of DoPT in reducing wasteful expenditure.

He said this is quite significant as all ministries have been directed by the Ministry of Finance to reduce wasteful expenditure on travel, food and conferences by 20 per cent, said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, also emphasised that a timely review of channel of submission should be undertaken to ensure prompt disposal of office files by reducing the file journey to just four layers, adopting e-office version 7.0, digitalisation of central registration unit for circulation of electronic receipts and operationalisation of desk officer system.

In the fight against COVID-19, he said, the DoPT, being the nodal department for personnel management in respect of the Central government, issued suitable instructions time to time to minimise the spread during the first and the second waves of the pandemic.

Singh said that measures like exemption from biometric attendance, regulating attendance in offices, making use of Aarogya Setu app mandatory on compatible mobile phones, extension of time limits for submission of APAR and training of frontline workers played important role in tackling the spread of COVID-19, the statement said.