Govt officials given guidelines for foreign travel

The government has issued a series of guidelines for the foreign travel of government officials as part of its austerity measures.

The guidelines were issued through a circular today that was signed by principal secretary Siraj Uddin Mia.

The circular said that foreign travel will generally be discouraged for government officials, and that they must submit a list of potential foreign trips for the year in advance.

The circular stated that a ministry-based database for foreign travel must be created, and that the structure of it will be developed by the office of the Chief Adviser, which will also maintain the data.

The circular advised government officials at all levels to avoid foreign travel simultaneously.

The adviser and secretary of a ministry should generally refrain from travelling abroad together, stated the government order. However, if such travel is deemed absolutely necessary in the national interest, the justification for the necessity must be specified.

The circular also added that secretaries of ministries and heads of subordinate departments or agencies should not travel abroad together unless it is absolutely essential for the national interest.

For participation in seminars or workshops abroad, the circular mandates that proposals involving advisers and secretaries must include information on the level of officials invited by the organising authority and the levels of officials participating from other countries.

Proposals for foreign travel must include the necessity of the trip and the relevance and suitability of the proposed official to the specific activity, said the circular.

The government guidelines mentioned that for purposes such as procurement, pre-shipment inspection, or factory acceptance tests, only relevant experts should be considered for travel.

Additionally, non-essential foreign trips funded by government resources are to be strictly avoided, said the circular.

The government directed all levels of government officials to refrain from undertaking recreational trips abroad. It also said that government officials and employees should avoid taking long-term educational leaves abroad.

Finally, the circular mandated that when submitting a foreign travel proposal, details of the proposed official’s travel history for the previous year must be attached.