Policy revision proposal comes amid need for fiscal restraint
Over 900 official vehicles purchased since Jan 2024
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 23: At a time when fiscal discipline and austerity measures are being repeatedly emphasised, the Jammu & Kashmir Government is examining a major overhaul of the official State Car Policy to significantly enhance vehicle entitlement limits for Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and equivalent functionaries as well as bureaucrats.
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Highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR that the proposal seeks to substantially increase the price ceilings for official vehicles across multiple administrative tiers, triggering concerns over prioritisation of expenditure and widening privilege.
The current State Car Policy was promulgated through Government Order No. 02-TR of 2015 dated 12.01.2015, which fixed vehicle eligibility primarily within a modest price band ranging between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 15 lakh depending on rank and administrative responsibility.
Under the existing framework, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and equivalent dignitaries are entitled to vehicles up to Rs 15 lakh. The Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries and equivalent in grades fall within a Rs 12 lakh limit.
Commissioners/Secretaries, Secretaries to the Government and officers of equivalent rank are entitled to vehicles valued up to Rs 10 lakh. Likewise, Major Heads of Departments, Deputy Commissioners, Chief Engineers, Managing Directors and equivalent officers are capped at Rs 9 lakh, while Additional Deputy Commissioners, Executive Engineers, Mobile Magistrates and other equivalent field officers are eligible for vehicles up to Rs 8 lakh.
However, the revised proposal of the State Motor Garages, which functions under the administrative control of Transport Department, presently under active consideration of the competent authority, suggests a sharp upward revision of vehicle limits, citing steep price escalation in the automobile sector.
As per the proposal, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, the Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioners and equivalent functionaries will be allowed vehicles up to Rs 35 lakh.
Similarly, Principal Secretaries, Commissioner Secretaries, Secretaries to the Government, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Divisional Commissioners and Chairpersons of various committees and boards constituted by the J&K Government, and equivalent officers in precedence, could receive vehicles worth Rs 25 lakh.
Major Heads of Departments, Deputy Commissioners, Special Secretaries, Managing Directors, Chief Engineers and equivalent officers may see limits rise to Rs 15 lakh, while mid-level administrative officers could become eligible for vehicles up to Rs 10 lakh. The proposal also includes provisions for VIP pool vehicles maintained by the State Motor Garages Department.
Significantly, sources indicated that no statutory entitlement exists for individual Government functionaries regarding official cars. Vehicle allocation remains an administrative decision based on price ceilings fixed by the Government itself.
The move has triggered serious policy concerns within administrative circles, with critics questioning whether the steep enhancement of vehicle price ceilings amounts to the institutionalisation of luxury privileges for the political and bureaucratic elite, even as large sections of the workforce including daily rated workers, Anganwadi workers and Midday Meal cooks continue to struggle for basic service regularisation, job security and long-pending wage enhancement.
“The proposal of the State Motor Garages comes amid continued pressure on public finances and increasing expenditure demands in infrastructure, welfare and employment sectors”, sources said, adding that revising vehicle entitlements at such a scale risks sending a conflicting message to citizens already grappling with rising living costs.
“While inflation and vehicle price hikes are real factors, the magnitude of proposed increases-more than doubling in some categories-goes far beyond mere adjustment for inflation”, they added, cautioning that without clear justification, periodic escalation of official perks may gradually transform administrative necessity into institutional privilege.
According to the sources, a total of 221 vehicles were purchased between 2024 and December 2025 for the State Motor Garages Department, while 716 vehicles were procured for other Government departments during the same period.
Regarding issuance of POL (Petrol, Oil and Lubricants) since 2022, sources revealed that during 2022-23, a total of 18,320 litres of POL was issued for various dignitaries of the J&K Government, including VVIP visits, official guests, touring officers, conferences and Ministries of the Government of India.
During 2023-24, 15,427 litres of POL was issued. The figure rose to 21,474 litres during 2024-25 and further increased to 22,898 litres during 2025-26 (up to January 1, 2026).
About installation of GPS devices in Government vehicles, the State Motor Garages Department, as per the sources, has taken up the matter with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for preparation of a Detailed Project Report for a Digital Vehicles Inventory Management Solution, including an integrated GPS tracking system.
However, they expressed inability to specify any time-frame for completion of this exercise.
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