India, May 7 -- 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.

Officials said the move is aimed at enforcing financial discipline with the state's revenue deficit projected at Rs.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 ea...