By Neeraj KumarÂ
Patna: The Bihar government has approved higher spending limits for the purchase of official vehicles by ministers, judges and senior bureaucrats. The Finance Department has issued a notification revising the price caps, allowing the inclusion of accessories within the overall budget.
Under the new guidelines, the purchase limits have been increased by ₹2 lakh to ₹7 lakh across various categories. The decision has been taken in view of rising vehicle costs and the increasing price of accessories.
As per the revised norms, the ceiling for vehicles allotted to Cabinet ministers and High Court judges has been raised from ₹30 lakh to ₹37 lakh. This means that ministers and judges will now be able to use more expensive and comfortable vehicles.
According to the resolution issued by the Finance Department, the revised budget will cover both the on-road price of the vehicle and the cost of fittings and accessories. The order, signed by Finance Department Secretary (Expenditure) Rachna Patil, formalises the enhanced limits.
For senior bureaucrats, including Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries, the limit has been increased from ₹25 lakh to ₹30 lakh. District Magistrates and Principal District and Sessions Judges can now purchase vehicles worth up to ₹22 lakh, up from ₹20 lakh.
Similarly, the cap for Superintendents of Police has been raised from ₹14 lakh to ₹18 lakh, while other eligible officials will now have a revised limit of ₹16 lakh, compared to the earlier ₹14 lakh.
Vehicle prices are rising, and keeping this in view, the government has taken this decision to ensure that ministers and officials do not face any inconvenience.
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