After CM Pinarayi Vijayan & team, another minister to visit Europe

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the elections are over, the ministers seem to be back on a foreign tour-spree citing multiple reasons. After chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently on a four-nation tour, transport minister A K Saseendran and several officials are set for a nine-day tour to the United Kingdom.
The transport minister, accompanied by principal secretary (transport) K R Jyothilal, transport commissioner K Sudesh Kumar and chairman and managing director of KSRTC M P Dinesh will visit the UK from June 1 to 9. The purpose of the visit has been termed as "exploring new trends and possibilities in mobility sector and learn various transport mobility initiatives which has been adopted by the UK".
While the expense of minister will be borne by the state exchequer directly, the expenses of the delegation are being met from the project 'e-mobility promotion fund', again funded by the state. The state budget this year had allocated Rs 12 crore towards the e-mobility promotion fund, aimed at promoting electric mobility in the state and to provide tax subsidies to electric-powered vehicles.
In addition, finance minister T M Thomas Isaac will also travel to the UK on Friday, to join the chief minister and party who will be in London after visiting the Netherlands, Switzerland and France, to participate in the listing function of Masala Bond of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) in the London Stock Exchange and visit London School of Economics.
Earlier, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran also had left for a four-day tour to United Arab Emirates from April 28 to May 1, to participate in the Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), which also was funded by the state exchequer. An earlier attempt by a team of ministers in October last year to foreign countries had to be dropped after the Centre denied clearance.
As many as 17 ministers had planned to visit various countries seeking aid for rebuilding the state after the August floods, but the Union government had outright rejected the proposals citing that seeking funds by the state government would harm the reputation of the country among world nations.
An observation that foreign trips are being undertaken indiscriminately by the officials had prompted the finance department to tighten the noose on such trips. A recent circular issued by the department had imposed stringent conditions for undertaking foreign trips, including furnishing details of foreign trips in last three years, a tour report of the previous trip and other details such as itinerary and whom the officials had met