Defence ministry officials travelling abroad on personal visits will have to submit their applications seeking approval at least a month in advance, a new government circular said.
The order was issued last week after the ministry found that officials going abroad on leave were submitting their applications at short notice, leaving little time for their cases to be processed.
“It needs to be mentioned that processing such applications involves prior clearances from cash section, vigilance section and security office, which consumes substantial time,” the circular stated.
To avoid delays in processing of such cases, the ministry has asked the officers/officials to submit their applications in the prescribed format, mentioning if he/she is handling any classified work and is handling large amounts of government cash.