Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt has standardised the approval process for foreign visits by the chief minister and ministers, requiring prior approval from the CM and disclosure of the budget head under which the travel expenses will be met.A circular issued by the general administration (protocol) department on July 28 said the directions were aimed at ensuring that all procedures relating to the ’ foreign visits of ministers and official delegations are done in a uniform and time-bound manner. It said all proposals relating to such visits, along with all relevant details for processing, should be submitted to the department.Files relating to ministers’ foreign visits from respective departments should first be routed through the minister concerned for obtaining the CM’s approval before being forwarded to the protocol department. Alternatively, a note approved by the CM on the proposed visit can also be forwarded to the department for further action.The circular also directs that every govt order sanctioning an official foreign visit by a minister should clearly specify the head of account from which travel expenses and other related expenditure would be met.The circular mandates that both official and private foreign visits by the CM and ministers should obtain political clearance from the external affairs ministry through its e-political clearance portal before departure.To avoid delays in processing applications, the liaison wing of the resident commissioner at Kerala House in New Delhi has been entrusted with coordinating with the external affairs ministry for obtaining political clearances in time. The circular further directs that all existing instructions issued by the finance department from time to time regarding expenditure on foreign visits by the CM and ministers should be strictly followed.“The circular is intended to bring greater uniformity and clarity to the processing of foreign visits by the political executive. It consolidates the procedures to be followed by different departments and ensures that proposals are processed in a time-bound manner,” a senior GAD official said.The latest circular comes seven years after the state govt overhauled the framework governing foreign travel by govt officers. The 2019 finance department order had prescribed detailed scrutiny of foreign tour proposals, required officers to submit information on their previous overseas visits, itinerary, costs and meetings scheduled, besides streamlining the approval process. It had also capped official foreign travel at four trips and 20 days a year for officers. The latest circular extends a similar emphasis on standardised procedures and accountability to overseas visits by the chief minister and ministers.
