New Delhi: The Central government has directed all ministries and departments to strictly enforce a “One Officer, One Official Car” (or “One Entitled Officer, One Official Car”) policy for senior bureaucrats. The move aims to eliminate duplication in the allotment of official vehicles, prevent misuse of government transport, optimise resource utilisation, and reduce unnecessary expenditure.
The instructions were issued by the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance through an Office Memorandum (No. 16(21)/E.Coord/2026 dated 27 May 2026). These are in continuation of the comprehensive guidelines on the use of staff cars issued on 1 September 2022 (OM No. 18(23)/E.Coord-2021). Recent reporting and circulation of the directions in late July 2026 have brought renewed focus on strict compliance across the government.
Key Provisions
According to the Office Memorandum:
- An officer who is already utilising an entitled official staff car for their regular post shall not be provided with an additional vehicle while holding an additional charge of any post in another Ministry/Department, Attached/Subordinate Office, Autonomous Body, or Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
- Unutilised vehicles must be kept in safe custody.
- Central government officials will not keep at their disposal staff cars belonging to government undertakings, quasi-government organisations, autonomous bodies, or PSUs, except when on official tour.
The order has been circulated to all Union ministries and departments, financial advisers, and private secretaries to Union ministers for strict compliance. Officials have described the revised norms as establishing a clear “one entitled officer, one official car” principle.
Purpose and Context
The government has stated that the measures are intended to:
- Optimise vehicle utilisation
- Prevent misuse of government vehicles
- Eliminate duplication in allotment
- Improve administrative efficiency
- Streamline the management of official transport
- Strengthen fiscal discipline and reduce avoidable expenditure on official transport
This comes against the backdrop of the 2022 Master Office Memorandum, which consolidated earlier instructions on staff car usage in Central government offices. Under the existing framework, entitled officers can use official cars for limited personal travel (up to 500 km per month) by paying a fixed fee and surrendering their regular transport allowance. The latest directions specifically close the gap that allowed officers holding multiple charges to access more than one official vehicle.
Implementation
All ministries and departments have been asked to ensure immediate and strict adherence. Vehicles that are no longer in regular use are to be secured rather than left available for unauthorised or informal use. The restriction on using PSU or autonomous body vehicles (except on authorised tours) further limits the practice of officers drawing cars from linked organisations.
The policy applies to senior bureaucrats entitled to official staff cars and is part of the broader effort to enforce economy and accountability in the use of public resources.
The Department of Expenditure has emphasised that the instructions have been issued with the approval of the Secretary (Expenditure) and require full compliance.
