Govt won't buy luxury cars for future ministers: Finance adviser
But 300 vehicles will be purchased for field-level officials who will perform election duties, Salehuddin says
Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said the proposal to purchase 60 luxury vehicles for the cabinet members of the next elected government has been scrapped.
However, the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase (ACCGP) approved a proposal to purchase around 300 vehicles for field administration officials who will serve during the upcoming general election, he told reporters at the Secretariat after an ACCGP meeting today (9 September).
The Ministry of Public Administration earlier placed a proposal to buy 60 vehicles for ministers and state ministers of the next government. TBS and other media outlets reported it.
When asked about it, the finance adviser said, "I don't know where you saw that. They quoted me as saying I approved it. I did not. The public administration ministry had submitted a proposal [to buy cars for the ministers]. I have stopped it; it will not happen."
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"What the public administration ministry did was propose that several worn-out cars be replaced with new ones. A lot of vehicles would be needed at the field level for the election. A worn-out vehicle could break down; we cannot allow that. We accepted that proposal," the finance adviser said.
"Among these 300 vehicles, there will be utility cars and microbuses. They will be provided to upazila nirbahi officers [UNOs] and assistant commissioners [ACs], and some will go to deputy commissioners [DCs] as well. Overall, we are doing this in a cost-effective manner," Salehuddin added.
