Panel reviewing Delhi ministers’ foreign tours

NEW DELHI: A day after lieutenant general Najeeb Jung sought the details of all official foreign tours of AAP ministers, it has come to light that deputy CM Manish

NEW DELHI: A day after lieutenant general Najeeb Jung sought the details of all official foreign tours of AAP ministers, it has come to light that deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain have travelled abroad four times each.

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A three-member committee constituted by the L-G is reviewing the clearances given for these tours.

Labour minister Gopal Rai and Jain went to Sweden on a five-day knowledge trip. Sacked minister Sandeep Kumar, however, went with his wife to the US for her delivery, said officials. Kumar paid for the trip.

Kumar’s private secretary, Praveen Kumar, also accompanied the couple in May and stayed with them for over a month.

Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Monday directed the general administration department of the Delhi government to furnish the details of all foreign trips made by AAP ministers, their personal staff and other officials in the last 18 months. The L-G office has asked for the duration of the stay, expenditure incurred, and the purpose of these trips.

The development comes at a time when chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and PWD minister Satyendra Jain concluded their visit to the Vatican on Tuesday. They had gone to attend the canonisation of Mother Teresa. This was Kejriwal’s first foreign trip after becoming Delhi chief minister.

Sources in the L-G office said the administration department has been told to provide the information to Raj Niwas by September 12.

“The note sent to the department is on the L-G house reviewing files after the August 4 order of the Delhi High Court. The details of foreign trips were sought after scanning the files. The L-G needs to ascertain if all such cases got the requisite clearance and whether they incurred expenses as per their entitlements,” a senior official said.

One of the mandates of the panel is to recommend appropriate administrative, criminal or civil action against the erring officials. They can also advise action to recover loss to the exchequer.

Delhi government officials maintained officers and ministers going abroad took prior approval from the Centre.