Govt to Conduct HR Audit Next Year to Cut Expenditure: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Hassan Zareer revealed today that the government is considering conducting an HR audit next year to determine the number of employees required by government institutions and take steps accordingly. Responding to a question posed by a member during today's meeting of the People's Majlis Budget Study Committee, the minister stated that the government has decided not to create new positions next year and will only recruit employees for positions that are absolutely necessary in order to reduce government expenditure. During that meeting, the minister highlighted that the largest expense currently incurred from the budget is the salaries and subsidies of employees. Zareer disclosed that it is estimated that MVR 17.1 billion will be spent on salaries and benefits, and approximately MVR 13 billion on subsidies in next year's budget. He also stated that as a measure to reduce expenditure, the government has decided to introduce targeted subsidies, replacing the current system of providing subsidies to everyone with a system where subsidies are provided only to those who absolutely need them. Zareer said that the audit to determine the required number of employees would be conducted jointly by the Finance Ministry and Pecommission. Furthermore, the Minister Zareer stated that after the audit, employees would be transferred from places where there are more employees than needed to places where they are needed. In addition, as part of expenditure reduction measures, the minister revealed that two projects totaling 150 megawatts are currently underway to replace 33 percent of the electricity generated in the country with renewable energy. He stated that once these two projects are completed, approximately 100 million liters of fuel could be saved.