Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced comprehensive fuel-saving measures for the state government amid the West Asia crisis and its impact on global crude oil supplies. According to reports from Business Standard, the Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Anu Garg to implement an eight-point guideline to reduce fuel consumption across government departments, public institutions, and government-supported organisations. The initiative extends beyond personal measures, with the Chief Minister having earlier halved the number of vehicles in his convoy and urging citizens to cut down on avoidable fuel consumption in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal.
In a significant push towards cleaner mobility, the government has made electric vehicles mandatory for all new two-wheelers and four-wheelers purchased by government offices from June 1. As reported by Business Standard, purchase of petrol- or diesel-run vehicles will only be permitted under special circumstances and specific requirements. Similarly, all four-wheelers hired on rent by government offices will also have to be electric vehicles from June 1 onwards. The Finance Department has been tasked with preparing a policy framework on how government officials owning private electric vehicles can use them for official duties.
The new directives establish virtual governance as the norm in state administration, with all official meetings, reviews, training programmes and workshops to be conducted online unless physical presence is absolutely necessary. According to Business Standard, in cases where in-person attendance is unavoidable, only those officers and employees whose presence is essential will attend physically, while others will join virtually. The Chief Minister has directed the rationalisation of official vehicle usage by senior officers, with officials allotted government vehicles for personal official use now required to adopt carpooling and share vehicles for commuting purposes.
The Finance Department has been asked to frame detailed guidelines within 15 days specifying which categories of senior officers are entitled to use government vehicles for personal official purposes. As reported by Business Standard, the guidelines further mandate that officers and employees travelling to distant locations for official work should preferably use public transport such as buses and trains instead of individual government vehicles. Every government office has been directed to take conscious measures to reduce monthly consumption of petrol and diesel used for government vehicles by at least 10 per cent. The measures will be implemented starting with the State Secretariat and extending to all government and non-government undertakings, autonomous institutions, universities and societies functioning under the state government.
Officials indicated that the measures will not only help conserve fuel amid global uncertainty but also accelerate Odisha's transition towards sustainable and energy-efficient governance. According to Business Standard, the state is already witnessing high demand for EVs in recent months despite charging infrastructure constraints. The government is also planning to introduce electric bus and minibus services for employees to commute from residential clusters to government offices in urban areas where a large number of staff members reside.
