Amid rising concerns over the misuse of government vehicles, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has taken action by issuing a directive to all ministries. On Sunday, it instructed them to submit detailed records of all vehicle users within seven days. The National Vigilance Centre, which operates under the OPMCM, has also been involved in the process.

OPMCM spokesperson Prem Prasad Acharya explained that the circular requires ministries and their agencies — to include board, councils, secretariats and agencies — to report who is operating any of the vehicles registered to government.

The instruction follows a report made by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), on the reported loss of a Mahindra Scorpio, (Reg. No. Pra 3-01-002 Jha 5367) which was reported on 29 June.The vehicle reappeared two days later. According to a ministry undersecretary, Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari had claimed it was being used by Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Chairperson Mahantha Thakur.

The OPMCM’s order comes in the wake of public criticism over political figures using government assets. While vehicle details had been requested in the past, this is the first directive demanding identification of individual users.

An internal OPMCM source confirmed that misuse is widespread across multiple government agencies, with reports of drivers being complicit. According to various reports, prominent officials can keep using government cars after they retire without giving them back.