Chhattisgarh bans foreign travel on government money

RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh government has banned its ministers and bureaucrats from touring abroad on state government expenses till March 31 next year, official sources said Tuesday.

The order by the finance department will cover the chief minister and ministers, bureaucrats, nine parliamentary secretaries who enjoy minister of state status and heads of various boards and corporations, the sources told IANS.

However, foreign trips on central government money would be allowed.

A senior finance department official said the state decision was “a move to contain unnecessary expenditure of public money”.

Official sources said the government order came amid reports of several bureaucrats planning foreign trips in the sweltering summer as the mercury hovers around 45 degrees Celsius in the state since April 14.