Ban on Foreign Tours and Recruitment till December Part of Goa's Austerity Move

In a bid to ease the burden on the state exchequer in view of the economic crisis created by COVID-19 pandemic, the Goa cabinet on Wednesday approved several austerity measures, including ban on new recruitment, non-essential foreign and domestic tours till December 2020.

Talking to reporters, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said during its meeting, the cabinet gave its nod to several measures as restrictions in place during the lockdown have affected the economic activities across all the sectors

and hit the state's revenue collection.

"The current trend is expected to continue for the next few months, for which necessary steps are required to be

taken in order to maintain fiscal prudence and discipline ought to be observed," he said.

As part of the austerity measures, the government has banned till December 2020 all foreign tours and non-essential

domestic tours funded by the state. It has also been mandated that those who travel at the state's expenses will travel by economy class, he said.

According to Sawant, the state also decided to put on hold till December the process of recruitment in all the

government departments, autonomous bodies, state PSUs, local bodies receiving grants from the state.

"It has been decided to defer the expenditure sanction for all capital works, which have been granted administrative approval, of all the state departments, autonomous bodies, state public sector units, local bodies till December 2020, except those that are partly or wholly funded by central government or deposit works," he said.

Sawant said that it has also been decided to defer the project-specific borrowings of all the government departments, autonomous bodies, state PSUs till December 2020.