National Assembly returns Rs472.1m to treasury under austerity measures

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has returned Rs472.1 million to the national treasury as part of the federal government’s austerity campaign, according to a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Friday.

The secretariat said the cost-cutting steps in the lower house were being implemented on the directions of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. The measures were aimed at supporting prudent governance and strengthening national financial resources.

According to the statement, the secretariat has also reduced the salaries of members of the National Assembly by Rs21 million in line with the austerity directives. That amount, it said, has been deposited into the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund 2026.

In compliance with austerity directives and in support of prudent governance, the secretariat has effected a Rs21 million reduction in the salaries of Members of the National Assembly, which has been deposited into the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund 2026 to further contribute to national financial resources

The development follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement of a series of austerity measures intended to conserve fuel amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. As part of the contingency plan, the government introduced a number of steps to cut fuel use.

These include a four-day working week for government offices, a 50 per cent cut in fuel allocations for official vehicles, and work-from-home arrangements for half of the staff in both public and private offices, with essential services excluded from the measure.

Further savings plan outlined

The National Assembly Secretariat said it had also prepared a broader plan to generate overall savings of up to Rs2 billion through more rationalised spending and improved resource management during the remainder of the fiscal year.

As part of the ongoing measures, the statement said 75 per cent of official vehicles had been taken off the road on the speaker’s instructions in order to save fuel and energy.

Following the speaker’s directive, 75pc of official vehicles have been grounded to save fuel and energy

The secretariat further said that the National Assembly was meeting its electricity requirements through the Green Parliament Solar System. That, in an effort to reduce expenditure further, 200 employees of the secretariat were currently on duty at the National Assembly.

The statement said additional contributions to the national treasury were expected as the cost-saving measures continued and were expanded further.

The move comes months after similar action by the upper house. In March, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani approved the surrender of Rs265 million to the national exchequer in support of the government’s austerity drive.