Government Slashes Fuel Quotas for Civil Servants Amid Mounting Fiscal Pressure

Amid mounting fiscal strain, the Ministry of Finance has rolled back fuel benefits for government employees and officials as part of broader austerity measures. The decision, approved by Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle, is intended to protect the economy from a worsening fuel crisis, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

The ministry attributed the move to a combination of factors: surging international petroleum prices, supply disruptions, and a revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year. To maintain fiscal discipline, the government is tightening public spending. The changes have been made under Sections 20 and 24 of the Financial Procedures and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2076 BS, amending Point No. 49 of the Operational Guidelines, 2081, the statement added.

Under the revised rules, secretaries and special class officials will now receive 70 litres of fuel per month, a significant reduction from the previous 125 litres. Joint secretaries will see their monthly quota drop from 100 litres to 50 litres. Ministers and constitutional office-bearers, however, remain unaffected and will continue to receive fuel facilities as per existing laws.

Fuel allocations for pool vehicles at central-level offices have also been reduced across the board. Offices with up to 30 employees will now receive 35 litres of petrol (down from 75 litres) and 50 litres of diesel (down from 100 litres). Offices with an additional 50 employees will receive the same reduced quota of 35 litres of petrol and 50 litres of diesel. For every additional 100 employees, the allocation has been cut to 35 litres of petrol and 50 litres of diesel, compared to 75 litres of petrol and 100 litres of diesel previously. Additionally, the monthly fuel entitlement for two-wheelers has been trimmed from 12 litres to 8 litres.