Panel takes off on foreign tour

BANGALORE: Karnataka's poor financial health hasn't deterred its state legislators from going on jaunts. During the past 15 months it's been in power, members of various state legislature committees and ministerial delegations went globe trotting eight times. The total bill? Almost Rs 2 crore.
The latest jaunt includes assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar and council chairman Veeranna Mathikatti.Accompanied by eight other legislators will study how to modernize libraries in Karnataka.
The team, part of the Legislature Library Committee, left on Friday on a 15-day tour of Europe and the US. Interestingly, wives and sons of Shettar and Mathikatti accompanied the committee and they will share lodging facilities.
" I can't see anything wrong about taking family members on the tour as all their expenses will be borne by the family, not the legislature,'' said Shettar.
Recently, around 55 legislators representing four legislature committees went on a study tour to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai with their family members. While on foreign soil, excluding airfare, each legislator is entitled to an allowance of $350 per day, for food, accommodation and local conveyance (the allowance is $350 for Grade A cities and $300 for Grade B cities). For a 15-day tour, each member is entitled to Rs 2.52 lakh. The members' food, accommodation and local conveyance adds up to Rs 1.439 crore. Ten other legislative committees and ministerial teams are waiting to take off in the next 12 months.