Bhubaneswar, June 12: Citing ongoing fuel and energy challenges arising from the West Asia crisis, the Odisha Finance Department has issued fresh instructions rationalizing the allocation and use of official vehicles across state government offices.
According to an official memorandum, officers in the rank of Special Secretary and above will continue to be entitled to an independent vehicle for official duties.
However, officers promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary on or after June 1, 2026, will no longer receive an immediate independent vehicle. Instead, they will be required to use government vehicles on a pooled basis and will become eligible for an individual official car only after completing three years of service in that rank.
The directive clarifies that this condition will not apply to Additional Secretaries who have already been allotted independent vehicles on or before May 31, 2026.
Officials from the rank of Under Secretary to Joint Secretary in administrative departments, as well as equivalent ranks in various Heads of Departments, will also be placed under the pooled vehicle system. Under this arrangement, at least two to three officers will share a single government vehicle.
The government has fixed a monthly deduction of ₹1,680 from the salaries of officers using pooled vehicles, as per Finance Department Memorandum No. 1613/F dated January 17, 2025.
The instructions further advise officials to prefer public transport such as buses or trains for official tours to distant locations within the state, wherever feasible, instead of using official vehicles.
These directives will be applicable to all state government undertakings, autonomous institutions, universities, and societies across Odisha, with the Finance Department calling for strict compliance from all concerned authorities.
