Foreign jaunts grounded for one year

HYDERABAD: No more foreign jaunts, at least for a year, for ministers, bureaucrats and non-officials.
Officially, no more roadshows, seminars, meetings and training programmes will be permitted in a foreign destination. No, the state government is not rewriting the rule book, nor is it hard-pressed for funds to send the ‘frequent flyers’ abroad. The word ‘foreign tour’ is now a taboo in the corridors of power.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday banned foreign tours and decreed that nobody should go abroad in the name of attending seminars and meetings.
He reportedly sent a terse note to the chief secretary imposing the ban on foreign tours.
The note says: “Various invitations are being received by ministers, non-officials and officials to visit abroad for study, trainings, etc. In view of large number of developmental programmes on hand and the need of continuous presence of ministers, non officials and officials to oversee implementation of these programmes, for the next one year, no minister, non official and officers need be sent abroad for training, seminars, etc.�
The provocation for Naidu’s note is reportedly a file signed by municipal administration minister B V Mohan Reddy permitting some officials of his department to visit Australia. A senior officer, who moved the file, reportedly included the name of the minister also. But Mohan Reddy opted out, saying that he could not afford to leave the state when his department was under flak for mystery fever deaths.
Minister for information technology and employment generation B Gopalakrishna Reddy has become the first victim of the ban.
Gopalakrishna Reddy is scheduled to leave on a foreign visit to attend a shopping exhibition along with Dwacra groups. But the minister was informed by the government not to undertake the tour in view of the ban.