Now Reading: Maharashtra resumes foreign tours after three-month austerity
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Maharashtra resumes foreign tours after three-month austerity
Maharashtra has resumed foreign tours for government officials, three months after imposing austerity measures that included cancelling such trips. Seven officers from the Maharashtra Maritime Board and the state sports department are…
Maharashtra has resumed foreign tours for government officials, three months after imposing austerity measures that included cancelling such trips. Seven officers from the Maharashtra Maritime Board and the state sports department are travelling to Germany and Canada this week.
The MMB team will attend the International Maritime Trade Fair in Hamburg from August 31 to September 6. The sports department officials will travel to Montreal from September 19 to 25 to present Pune's bid for hosting the 2032 UCI Cycle Road World Championships. The state government will spend Rs 28 lakh on the Canada trip.
Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal did not respond to queries on whether his May circular prohibiting foreign tours had been withdrawn. The May austerity measures followed PM Modi's appeal amid the West Asia crisis and included halving cabinet convoys and cancelling several ministerial and legislative tours.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The resumption of foreign travel suggests the May circular was either withdrawn or quietly relaxed, though no official order to that effect has been released. Maharashtra's austerity push in May was largely symbolic, aimed at demonstrating fiscal discipline after the PM's appeal, actual savings from cancelling a few foreign trips are negligible against the state's Rs 6 lakh crore budget. The Hamburg trade fair is a routine industry event that the MMB attends annually, and the Montreal trip directly supports a high-profile international bid. What matters now is whether the government will issue a revised policy on foreign travel for officials, or let each department decide case by case.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
