Officials will now be able to make only four foreign official trips annually. Continuing with its austerity measures the Finance Ministry on Monday clarified that number of official visit abroad by a Government official is now restricted to four.
It also said that foreign travel of Government officers at the cost of public sector undertakings will be discouraged. The Ministry has issued a clarification with regard to an office memorandum issued on October 29, which was silent on number of trips.
The austerity measures included cut in non plan expenditure (barring certain items such as interest payment, salary & pension, defence etc.) by 10 per cent, no travel by first class, no creation of new posts besides others. These measures are aimed to check the fiscal deficit to budget target of 4.1 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
“For visit exceeding four by an officer, detailed justification would need to be furnished and such visits would be allowed only in exceptional cases depending on the functional need,” the circular said.
It also said that proposals for participation in any conferences, seminars, conventions, work shops, study tours or presentation of papers abroad at Government cost will not be entertained except those that are fully funded by sponsoring or inviting organisations. These may be “considered keeping in mind the public interest and Government business at home,” it said.
The Ministry has instructed that only appropriate officer dealing with subject of the conference should travel and not the officers at higher level. “Visits at the level of Secretaries should be planned only if their presence is essential and officers of or the level of Additional Secretary or Joint Secretary cannot substitute them for the purpose of enunciating Government policies or standpoint,” it said.
Although foreign travel at the cost of PSU will be discouraged, but can be undertaken specifically in connection with the affairs of the concerned company. “Specific reasons for charging the expenditure of the PSU on account of foreign travel must be spelt in the proposal,” the clarification said.