Meghalaya cancels foreign trips after PM appeal

Shillong: The Meghalaya govt suspended all new foreign travel proposals and cancelled all planned trips abroad by the chief minister after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity announcement, chief minister Conrad K Sangma said in Shillong on Wednesday, May 27.“I had personally put on hold every single trip outside. I am very clear that we had to go as per the prime minister’s direction as this is in the larger interest of the nation. I have stopped all foreign trips post prime minister’s announcement,” chief minister Conrad K Sangma said.He clarified that only trips approved months earlier and cleared by the Centre were undertaken.“The programmes that had political as well as financial clearance before the PM’s announcement went ahead, because such trips take three to four months, sometimes six months to prepare,” he told reporters.Sangma said teams currently abroad left after all formalities were completed and that since the PM’s announcement, the state did not approve any fresh requests.“Post Prime Minister’s announcement, any new proposals for trips outside are not being entertained,” he said.“After he gave the announcement and asked the states not to send delegations, we have not cleared anyone. I have received close to about 7-8 new proposals and all of them have been put on hold,” the chief minister said. – MD (27-05-26)