India, March 29 -- With an eye on increasing spending on capital expenditure and development, the cash-strapped state government has asked all departments to reduce establishment costs by using technology, weeding out unproductive schemes and merging identical schemes. A government resolution to this effect was issued by chief secretary Sujata Saunik on Friday.

"Fifty-eight percent of revenue receipts (of Rs.5.61 lakh crore in FY2025-26) is spent on 'committed' expenditure including wages, pension, and establishment cost. By using technology, the departments should take steps to reduce this expenditure. The departments should try and merge duplicate schemes or scrap unproductive ones and apprise about them to the state cabinet while movi...