No extra funds in revised budget, car purchase and foreign trips off the table

Ministries must stick to original allocations, says Finance Division

The Finance ministry has urged all ministries to exercise stricter spending under the revised budget for FY 2025-26.

Officials have been directed to halt foreign trips, vehicle purchases, and certain other expenditures, according to a notification issued on Monday by the Finance Division.

All ministries and departments have been asked to submit their revised budget projections to the Finance Division by Nov 9.

Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed proposed a budget of Tk 7.9 trillion on Jun 2, which was later approved by the Advisory Council.

This figure is Tk 70 billion lower than the original budget for FY25, but 6.18 percent higher than the revised budget of Tk 7.44 trillion.

The Finance Division notification clearly says ministries must continue the policy of expenditure restraint, as followed in previous years, and ensure all revised budget allocations remain within the limits of the original budget.

Ministries may reallocate funds within approved limits to priority programmes but cannot demand additional funds.

It also warns that unspent development budget cannot be transferred to operational budgets under any circumstances.

As part of expenditure restraint, all participation in foreign workshops and seminars will remain suspended under the revised budget.

However, in exceptional cases, limited foreign travel may be permitted with approval from the relevant authority.

Vehicle, ship, and aircraft purchases are not allowed.

The Finance Division, however, allows replacement of vehicles over 10 years old within operational budgets with its approval.

Land acquisition costs under the operational budget have been halted, though conditional spending under the development budget is permitted.

In certain other cases, spending has been suspended, while some limited expenditure may be allowed based on importance.

The notification also instructs that the number of projects in the revised Annual Development Programme (ADP) should be kept limited, alongside other operational directives.