TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar have parachuted out of their planned foreign tour of Berlin and Rome, ostensibly to concentrate on the ensuing Zilla Panchayat elections. Instead, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Nikhil Desai will lead the delegation.
“The CM conveyed to me last night (Monday) that he was canceling his trip to Berlin and asked me to lead the delegation instead. Thereafter, I too withdrew from the trip since we both have to concentrate on the upcoming ZP elections,” Parulekar told Herald.
Parsekar was not available for comments, but sources confirmed that he is camping in Goa overseeing preparations for the March 18 ZP elections.
Notwithstanding the absence of the two ministers, the delegation has already set up its pavilion at the International Travel Mart in Berlin where it will also announce the hosting of the Junior International Delphic Games in Goa in 2016. The newly launched e-Visa and Visa on Arrival facility being offered at Dabolim airport, the showcasing of its best tourism products, and new ventures to be unveiled in the next few months will be promoted at the Mart.
Unveiling a series of austerity measures to cut non-plan expenditure by 10 per cent in October 2014, the Union Finance Ministry had said that foreign tours would need prior clearance of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Modi government had also barred bureaucrats from travelling first class on overseas visits and asked them to use video conferencing as much as possible. The finance ministry had also barred officials from holding meetings in 5-star hotels.
Only seminars and conferences that are absolutely essential should be organised, the ministry had said, adding that “holding of exhibitions/seminars/conferences abroad is strongly discouraged except in case of exhibitions for trade promotions”.
