Heavy expenditure on foreign tours of elected representatives of Delhi
10 Dec, 2012Reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that around Rs 1.71 crore have been spent on foreign visits of Delhi Ministers and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the previous nine years.
The data provided in the reply shows that Delhi MLAs undertook around 57 foreign visits between 2004 and October 2012. The cost incurred on nine foreign visits made in 2004 was Rs 18.68 lakh. In 2005, 14 visits were made at a cost of Rs 30.94 lakh and 11 tours in 2006 cost Rs 36.56 lakh. Between 2009 and October 2012, about Rs 42.33 lakh were spent on 10 foreign tours which included attending various conference and international seminars.
The reply shows that on the foreign tours of Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, Rs. 55 lakh were spent. The destinations included, among others, the US, the UK, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Germany and Switzerland.