As a way of improving efficiency in public spending, cabinet has approved a proposal to scale down on public expenditure by cutting down resources spent on unnecessary secondary items.

According to a press statement from the finance ministry, the objective of rationalizing public expenditure is to limit spending on some items to ensure optimum value for public spending.

Such items whose expenditure will be limited include expenditures on diaries and calendars, greeting cards as well as expenditures on congratulatory messages.

The press statement stresses that expenditures on such items should strictly be limited to the offices of the president, Prime Minister, Supreme Court, senate president and the president of the chamber of deputies.

"All other government agencies and public institutions are strictly prohibited to have expenditures made on such items,” says the press statement.

In a move to cut the unnecessary expenditures, congratulatory messages conveyed through the media have also been banned.

Greeting cards will be limited to the same offices and district mayors, governors, ministers and state ministers as well as heads of autonomous and semi autonomous public institutions.

The move to scale down public expenditure has been attributed to the effects of the global financial crisis that is pushing  government to devise measures to address the challenges posed by the crisis.

MINECOFIN also explains that in order to achieve the growth rates and development objectives, the priority is to allocate public funds to more developmental projects.

In the statement, the government considers it imperative for exceptional measures regarding the use of public funds to make the cost savings that are critical at the moment.

In the same move, project coordinators are also restricted from procuring any of the prohibited items.

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