JOIN USCOVID-19: Rajya Sabha plans to save Rs 80 crore this fiscal
With COVID-19 putting pressure on the exchequer, Rajya Sabha will curtail its expenses by around Rs 80 crore this fiscal by barring recruitments, reducing study visits by Parliamentary committees, deferring the purchase of vehicles and increased use of e-office to save on stationary.
The Rajya Sabha Secretariat drew up an elaborate plan after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu instructed it to prepare a road map in this regard. Already, the Secretariat has identified areas to save Rs 60 crore against the budget of Rs 423 crore and it is targeting a total saving of Rs 80 crore as the financial year progresses.
Naidu on Monday chaired a meeting with eight top officials, including Secretary General Desh Deepak Verma, of the Secretariat to review the plan prepared by them.
Verma informed Naidu that austerity measures identified include not undertaking fresh recruitment for this fiscal, deferring of purchase of vehicles, keeping on hold international travel and training of officials, reduced study visits by committees and prioritisation of publications.
He also informed the meeting that other measures include putting on hold award of fellowships and internships under Rajya Sabha Research Scheme and increased use of e-office to save stationery among others.
During the meeting, Naidu directed strict monitoring of expenditure to increase savings in view of economic slowdown and decline in the revenues of the government.
With the meetings of Parliamentary Standing Committees not taking place due to lockdown, Naidu also said there is a need for the undivided focus of the executive on containing the pandemic. So, he said, a view on holding meetings of these panels and other committees of Rajya Sabha will be taken later.
Naidu was informed that the Rajya Sabha has at present 20 vacancies in a House of 245. These include 18 seats for which elections were deferred, one caused by the disqualification of Sharad Yadav, which is sub-judice and another caused by the demise of Beni Prasad Verma.
On the oath-taking of 38 new MPs, who were recently elected unopposed, it was decided that oath will be administered to them inside the Chamber of the Rajya Sabha after the lockdown, if feasible before the next Session so as to comply with the norm of physical distance with their family members likely to attend.
He also directed officials to initiate the process to fill up the vacancies of Chairmen of eight Committees caused by the retirement of some MPs from Rajya Sabha.
These vacancies include Chairmen of Standing Committees on Human Resource Development and Industries held by Satyanarayan Jatiya and K Keshava Rao, respectively. Chairmanship of three panels on Privileges, Subordinate Legislation and Papers Laid on the Table also fell vacant with the terms of Harivansh, T Subbarami Reddy and C P Thakur, respectively, expiring. Three other committees without the Chairmen are Ethics, MPLADS and Provision of Computers for Members of Rajya Sabha held by Prabhat Jha, Harivansh and Tiruchi Siva.