Centre Enforces One Officer One Car Rule
The Centre has tightened rules governing official vehicle use across Union ministries and departments, introducing a strict “One Entitled Officer, One Official Car” policy to prevent duplication, misuse and avoidable government expenditure.
One Officer One Official Car Rule
Under the revised guidelines, a senior government officer entitled to an official staff car cannot receive another vehicle merely because they have been given additional charge of another ministry, department, public sector undertaking or autonomous organisation.
The officer must continue using the government vehicle already assigned to them. The Department of Expenditure has instructed all ministries and departments to ensure strict implementation of the revised transport norms.
PSU Vehicle Use Restricted
Central government officers have also been barred from using vehicles belonging to public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and quasi-government organisations for routine purposes.
Such vehicles may be used only when an officer is travelling on authorised official duty or undertaking an approved tour. The restriction is intended to prevent officers from accessing additional vehicles through organisations under their administrative control.
Ministries have also been directed to keep surplus or temporarily unused vehicles in safe custody instead of allowing them to be used unofficially.
Centre Seeks to Reduce Transport Spending
The government said the revised policy would improve administrative efficiency, strengthen accountability and reduce unnecessary spending on drivers, maintenance, fuel and vehicle operations.
The latest instructions supplement the comprehensive staff-car guidelines issued by the Department of Expenditure in September 2022. Those rules consolidated earlier directions covering the purchase, allocation and use of official vehicles across Central government offices.
All ministries and departments have now been asked to review existing vehicle arrangements and ensure compliance with the one-officer, one-car principle.
