Meghalaya suspends state-funded foreign trips of ministers, officials for six months

SHillong, The Meghalaya authorities on midweek place on carry all state-funded strange visits by ministers, MLAs and officials for six months as part of an austerity drive aimed at rationalising expenditure and prioritising development spending, a notification stated.The decision, taken in the larger public interest, comes amid growing global economic uncertainties, including rising geopolitical tensions and pressure on foreign exchange resources, they said.According to the notification by the general administration department, the governor has ordered that all official foreign visits of ministers, MLAs and officials of the state government, whether permanent or contractual, shall be on hold for six months.The notification said the measure has been imposed "in public interest and for complying with austerity measures".As a result of the decision, eight proposed foreign study visits and exposure programmes involving around 63 to 68 officials and representatives from various departments have been deferred.The postponed programmes were related to governance, livestock development, climate-resilient water management, healthcare systems, project implementation, environmental management and electoral administration.The proposed visits were to destinations including the United Kingdom, Denmark, the United States, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Argentina.Officials said the temporary suspension should not be viewed as a withdrawal from international engagement or knowledge exchange."Rather, it reflects a temporary pause in expenditure-bearing overseas travel while ensuring continued focus on governance priorities within the state," an official said.The government said many of the intended learnings and collaborations would continue to be pursued through virtual engagements, technical partnerships and other avenues during the restriction period.The notification stated that the order would apply to all foreign visits funded by the Meghalaya government and would cover both permanent and contractual employees.However, it clarified that the restriction would not apply to visits fully funded by the government of India or entirely sponsored by multilateral development banks, subject to obtaining the necessary political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs.Officials said the move is aimed at curbing non-essential expenditure and ensuring that public resources remain available for development programmes and other priority commitments of the state government.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.