In a decision to curtail expenses, the State government has cut down foreign travel of officers to thwart wasteful expenditure from the public exchequer
Government Spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh told reporters after the cabinet meeting today that the government has asked for rationalising ‘foreign travel’ of officers with a rider of only two foreign visits per year.
Lyngdoh said that the approval for the second visit would be given only after the officer submits a progress report of the first visit and if results are tangible, the second visit will be cleared by the state government.
The Minister said the decision has been taken keeping in view the fiscal condition of the state.
“We have decided that the state government can sponsor only one visit, and the next will have to be borne either by Government of India or an external agency. And the only exception will happen if that official is visiting a foreign country to receive an award on behalf of the Government of Meghalaya,” he said.
Stating that the figures of how much has been spent till date were not readily available with him, Lyngdoh also mentioned that in the case of cabinet ministers, this is tied to clearance by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Recently, MEA has come up with very stringent conditions for clearing such proposals of visits, which includes even the chief ministers of states.
