Jakarta. The Indonesian government is considering allowing civil servants to work remotely twice a week to boost productivity and reduce operational costs, an official said on Friday.

President Prabowo Subianto has implemented austerity measures to save at least Rp 300 trillion ($18.4 billion) in state spending this year. The cost-saving initiative comes as his administration begins rolling out major programs, including providing free meals for school-aged children, which started last month.

To support these efforts, government officials have been instructed to eliminate non-essential trips and ceremonies from their schedules and cancel non-priority projects.

Zudan Arif, head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN), said that under the proposed policy, state employees would only be required to work in the office three days per week. The plan follows the implementation of a digitalized system that enables employees of state agencies and state-owned enterprises to work from anywhere.

"The presidential instruction on budget-saving measures provides momentum for BKN to enhance its performance and evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated information system for our civil servants," Zudan said.

According to him, allowing two days of remote work per week will help cut operational expenses.

Earlier, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi proposed extending remote work options to both civil servants and private-sector employees ahead of Eid al-Fitr in late March. The policy aims to reduce traffic congestion during the annual holiday exodus by allowing people to travel earlier and avoid peak holiday traffic.

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