TimesView Times View The CM’s foreign tours, in a way, show his commitment to promote Kerala and lure much-needed financial and technological investments. To that extent, it’s a welcome departure from his two immediate predecessors. But, what have these trips actually yielded – we saw the Netherlands just a while back declare officially that it prefers EU nurses when Pinarayi Vijayan, after his visit to that country recently, boasted of opening new doors for one of Kerala’s biggest exports! There is also the matter of timing: When the state is in dire straits, should the CM spend money on visits abroad? Transparency matters too: Why is the government so secretive about these trips?

No reply to RTI, assembly queries

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is in the throes of a financial crisis – salaries and pensions aren’t being paid on time, bills as relatively low as Rs 1 lakh are being held up in the state treasury -- but that has not stopped chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan from embarking on yet another costly foreign trip, his eighth in the last three and a half years.Prior to his ongoing 11-day visit to Japan and South Korea with a 13-member delegation, Vijayan visited nine countries ever since he became CM – this includes the UAE thrice and twice to the US. To both these countries, and to several others, the CM was accompanied by his wife, daughter and grandchild as well. Vijayan’s predecessor Oommen Chandy travelled abroad only thrice during his five-year tenure, and that too to the Gulf countries where there is a huge Malayali diaspora. Vijayan’s party comrade V S Achuthanandan did not undertake any foreign trip when he was chief minister.Despite repeated RTI queries and questions raised in the state assembly, the LDF government has not furnished details on the total amount spent on any of these tours by the CM. TOI had filed RTI queries regarding the number of countries visited by the chief minister, number of agreements signed during the visit to each country and the amount of money spent by the state government on each of these foreign tours.The general administration (political) department (GAD) replied that no details were available with them regarding the expenditure and agreements signed. GAD (accounts) gave details only regarding the amounts reimbursed as ticket charges connected with foreign journeys of the chief minister between 2016 and 2019.In the 15th session of the Assembly, MLAs P C George and N A Nellikkunnu asked questions about foreign trips of the chief minister as well as other ministers, the purpose of their visits, details of retinue and amount spent for each visit. Both George and Nellikkunnu said that they are yet to receive any reply regarding expenditure of the foreign tours.A detailed order (GO (Rt) No. 6433/2019/GAD dated November 6), accessed by TOI, was issued by the government regarding the travel schedule and various facilities arranged for the CM and his delegation and their entitlements. The members of the delegation are entitled to airfare, airport tax on actuals, business hotel accommodation that will be arranged by the Indian mission, local transportation, bullet train journey in Japan, expenditure on communication devices, access to airport lounge and medical assistance. All of these entitlements will be charged in the state government’s account. An additional $100 per day would be given in addition as ‘daily allowance’ to each delegate as per the rules of the ministry of external affairs. Most delegates would be staying abroad for 10 to 15 days, thus drawing a considerable amount under this head.In fact, after the delegation reached Tokyo, another order was issued (also accessed by TOI) by the general administration department, crediting an additional Rs 10 lakh to the account of Suchitwa Mission director Mir Muhammed Ali who is part of the delegation, using it for any unforeseen emergency for the delegation.Incidentally, the government orders with details of these expenditures are missing from the official website, despite the stated position of the government that all such orders would be available in the public domain.