Curbs on hiring IT consultants as government moves to cut expenditure

The move comes after the government found that over 240 consultants had been hired across departments, which has been costing the state crores of rupees annually

Mumbai: In an attempt to rein in rising expenditure, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday capped the number of IT consultants that departments can hire, allowing only two per department without prior approval from a high-powered committee chaired by the chief secretary. The move comes after the government found that over 240 consultants had been hired across departments, which has been costing the state crores of rupees annually.

Curbs on hiring IT consultants as government moves to cut expenditure

Officials said the move is aimed at enforcing financial discipline with the state’s revenue deficit projected at ₹40,552 crore for 2026–27,

The clampdown follows a review by the IT department which showed some departments had hired between five and 20 consultants, pushing up costs. Each consultant earns between ₹2.85 lakh and ₹4.54 lakh per month, based on their experience which is leading the expenditure running into crores.

According to the new order, departments must submit a detailed proposal to the High-Powered Committee if they need more than two consultants. The proposal must justify the requirement and detail the outcomes which were achieved from earlier appointments.

Earlier this year, a review meeting chaired by IT minister Ashish Shelar flagged excessive hiring. Around 246 consultants were estimated to be working across departments at the time.

“IT minister Ashish Shelar had ordered the department wise data of how many IT consultants working in each department and how much expenditure is going on for their salary and what work they are doing?” said an official from the IT department. Though only a few departments complied with the order.

The new order also restricts hiring consultants for specialised tasks such as big data analytics and GIS support. Instead, “departments shall appoint specialists by clearly articulating the specific requirements (criteria) and, subject to the approval of the high power committee. IT consultants shall not be appointed for such specific tasks.” said the order.

Officials said the cap is expected to result in substantial savings. “The exact number of IT consultants is not known as of now, so we can not figure out exact savings. But definitely there would be huge saving.” said an officer.