UP on austerity drive, government events at hotels banned
Lucknow, Sep 19: No government parties, events, functions and workshops of the Uttar Pradesh government will now on be held in private hotels, an official said on Wednesday.
This has been ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as part of an austerity drive to cut down on government expenditure, the official told IANS.
For all these events, government departments will have to use government buildings and campuses, a letter from Chief Secretary Anup Chandra Pandey to all departmental heads says.
In case hosting such an event in a hotel is absolutely necessary, the Chief Secretary's permission would be mandatory.
Barring unavoidable circumstances, all government officials and employees will now on fly economy class. Bureaucrats cannot use government money to send greeting cards, gifts, calendars and diaries on New Year and other occasions.
The guidelines will be binding on all government departments, public sector undertakings, local bodies and state varsities.
All these entities of the state governments have asked not to get new guest houses constructed. Officials have also been barred from changing the furnishings and furniture at their office.
With an exception on security grounds, purchase of new vehicles has also been banned. Officials have been asked to ensure that government expenditure on commuting was minimized by more use of e-mail, video conferencing and other communication modes.
The government has also asked the departments to cut down on travels, specially foreign trips, printing and publishing, writing stationary, furniture and equipment, interior designing of offices, hospitality of guests and on advertisements and publicity.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
