The Union Home Ministry has notified new set of rules to “regulate” official visits of Governors outside their States, mandating prior permission from the President and putting a cap of 73 days in a year as the duration of such visits.
Amending the Governors (Allowances and Privileges) Rules, the MHA on February 10, 2015 issued a notification stating that all out-station visits of Governors will require prior approval of the President. In normal course, any communication in this regard has to be forwarded to the President's Secretariat at least seven days in advance.
The notification, which seeks to discourage Governors' visit to the home State, says that copies of all the communications soliciting the approval of the President for visits should also be endorsed to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Home Minister.
In case of official visits, the notification provides that without prior intimation to the President's Secretariat, the Governor cannot undertake such visits even under any emergent or extraordinary circumstance.
“In case of emergent or extraordinary circumstances, the intimation shall contain details of the circumstances and the compelling reasons why it was not possible to obtain prior permission....,” it says, adding that the duration of such visits cannot exceed 20 per cent of the days in a calendar year [73 days].
“Governor shall invariably obtain clearance under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and political clearance before undertaking the foreign visit,” says the notification.
Also, the Governors have to seek permission from the President for private visits within India at least two weeks in advance, except in exceptional circumstances. Communication pertaining to private visits abroad have to be made at least six weeks in advance and except in extraordinary circumstances, Governors cannot undertake any out-station visit without prior approval.
In case of visits due to extraordinary circumstances, the Governors have to intimate the President's Secretariat as soon as the programme is finalised, providing details of the compelling reasons why it was not possible to obtain prior permission.
Once the schedule for the visit is approved, it cannot ordinarily be revised. However, in extraordinary circumstances, the President's Secretariat has to be intimated about it before Governor's departure from the State.
