‘Remain strictly austere while seeking funds’

Central ministries and departments have been asked to ‘strictly’ comply with recent austerity steps while seeking additional funds through the next batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants to be presented in the Winter Session of Parliament. ‘Steps/ measures to be taken for better fiscal and expenditure management for 2013-14...may kindly be followed strictly,’ the Finance Ministry said in a communication to all the financial advisors.

On September 18 the Centre announced a slew of austerity measures, including cut in plan expenditure and ban on creation of new posts, with an aim to keep the fiscal deficit with in the target level of 4.8 per cent of the GDP.