A day before he had embarked on a 10-day visit to the United States on last Friday evening, lieutenant-Governor Najeeb directed the Delhi Government’s General Administration Department (GAD) to furnish details about the number of foreign visits undertaken by AAP Government’s Ministers, their personal staff and other officials during the last 18 months.
In a note to Chief Secretary and Secretary (General Administration Department) of Delhi Government RN Sharma, the Special Secretary to lieutenant-Governor has directed that details of foreign visits of Ministers, their personal staff and official of the Delhi Government should be furnished latest by September 12.
“A number of foreign visits for official purposes have been undertaken by Hon’ble Ministers and their personal staff, including OSDs/ Advisors and by Secretaries/ Head of Departments of various departments over the last one- and-a- half years. Complete details of such visits -- including purpose of visit, duration, countries visited, composition of delegation, class of travel by each participant, details of approving authority, clearances obtained along with related files may be submitted to this Secretariat by September 12,” the note said.
According to sources, the lieutenant-Governor has also directed a three-member panel to examine alleged irregularities in foreign tours undertaken by the Ministers and officers on official purposes at Government expense without approval of the competent authority.
In response to a RTI filed by BJP leader Vivek Garg, the Delhi Government’s GAD has replied that City Home Minister Satyendra Jain had thrice visited foreign countries while Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited four times. Delhi labour Minister Gopal Rai had visited foreign countries only once. Sacked AAP leader and ex-Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar made personal visit to the US twice. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Minister Satyendra Jain are in Vatican City to attend Mother Teresa’s canonization ceremony that held on September 4. This is the first foreign visit undertaken by Kejriwal after assuming the charge of Delhi CM on February 15, 2015. lieutenant Governor Najeeb jung had earlier refused to give sanction to Chief Secretary KK Sharma and Jain’s OSD DC Goel to visit Vatican City along with Kejriwal.
After introducing stringent guidelines on official trips abroad, the Central Government has initiated scrutiny of such trips by Ministers and bureaucrats to check the intended outcome as well as the visit’s funding and spending. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has even rejected proposals on Ministers’ foreign visits even after the Ministry of External Affairs’ clearance. It recently asked the Ministers to be “judicious” before submitting such proposals for secretaries and additional secretaries of their department.
A four-page circular issued in the first week of January by the expenditure department in the Finance Ministry to regulate foreign visits of Government officials specified that such visits shall not exceed five working days. And, that any delegation for foreign travel (irrespective of the level of officers) exceeding five working days or five members shall be placed before the screening committee, headed by the Cabinet secretary, for approval.