Travelling abroad will be tougher for civil servants, with the Narendra Modi government further tightening the rules for foreign travel.
He may have visited 33 countries in the past year, but globe-trotting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slashed foreign tours of senior officials to five days from the earlier 15.
The government has circulated a notice to that effect, a copy of which is available with Rediff.com, to all secretaries to the government of India.
A 25-point action plan on foreign visits of senior officials has now been issued by the Department of Expenditure with the consent of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and also the Prime Minister’s Office.
As per the new rules, any foreign visit exceeding five working days or including more than five members in the delegation would be expected to be placed before the Screening Committee of Secretaries.
Additionally, no officer will undertake more than four official visits abroad in a year.
Another rule states that secretaries shall not undertake any foreign visits during the Parliament session unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
This is the latest in a series of such communication by the Centre, which had earlier asked its officials and ministers to submit foreign travel proposals at least 10 days in advance and explain the results of the sojourns.
Now, all proposals have to be submitted to the SCoS at least 15 days before departure.
These changes are a part of the austerity drive undertaken by the PMO. Earlier too, in October 2014, the PMO had ordered a ban on first-class air travel by top bureaucrats.
Read the full list of rules HERE
Image: PM Modi waves as he boards his plane. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters
