Top bureaucrats, who often point a finger at the misuse of government resources by politicians, seem to have outdone legislators in making officially-sponsored trips abroad.
A total of 188 officials — including IAS, IPS, IFS, KAS, and other officials — had gone abroad to attend workshops, conferences and study tours in the last three years, according to sources in the State Secretariat.
This has cost the State exchequer Rs. 1.10 crore for the period 2011 (July) to 2014 (July).
This trend seems to have gone unchecked even as a recent tour of legislators to Europe and other countries came under severe criticism, particularly at a time when the State is facing severe drought and flood conditions.
Of the total 121 foreign junkets undertaken by officials in the last three years, expenses of 32 tours was met by the State government. Expenditure on the rest of the tours was borne by the organisers, such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Central government, U.N. bodies such as ILO, IFO, London School of Economics, and trade fairs and travel marts.
Interestingly, an IPS officer visited China for the 26 FIBA, Asia Basket Ball Championship for Men, in 2011. Some officials attended the Geneva Festival in Switzerland, the 19th triennial meeting of the International Association of Forensic Science at Madeira (Portugal), the Indian Tourism Marketing meet in New York, a conference on advances mid-career VAT and GST Training programme at Duke University, and an agri-business meet in Israel.
Sources said while most such trips are useful to the State, some are sanctioned in the guise of promoting tourism, trade and business, bringing in tech innovations and leadership development.
Interestingly, the U.S., where many bureaucrats have relatives or children studying, topped the list of most popular countries visited.
Government bodies such as the Karnataka State Co-Operative Marketing Federation, the Visvesvaraya Industrial Trade Centre, Department of Agriculture, Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology, Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd., Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, State Library Authority Fund, Hutti Gold Mines Ltd., Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. and Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd. too have footed junkets.
A senior official told The Hindu that “officials have to obtain permission from the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, and departments concerned from the Centre for embarking on foreign tours. Officials, who go on a study tour, need to submit a detailed report soon after his/her return from the tour”.