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Foreign trip for Orissa MLAs despite fiscal crisis: The Deccan Herald
Bhubaneswar, Jan 16: A 16-member group of Orissa legislators jaunt to Singapore and Thailand at the cost of cash-starved state exchequer has raised eyebrows in different circles.
Bhubaneswar, Jan 16: A 16-member group of Orissa legislators jaunt to Singapore and Thailand at the cost of cash-starved state exchequer has raised eyebrows in different circles.
Orissa’s fiscal problems have not been able to prevent a group of MLAs to embark on a trip to Singapore and Thailand at the cost of the state exchequer.
The MLAs include 15 from the ruling BJD-BJP combine and one from Congress, the principal opposition party in the state.
The trip has already become a major topic of discussion in the state’s political, bureaucrat and media circles as it has reportedly been sponsored by a few state-owned public sector undertakings (PSUs). The cumulative loss of the Orissa PSUs is running to crores of rupees.
The trip has officially been billed as a “study tour” for the legislators who would examine the tourism and urban development sectors in Singapore and Thailand and will offer their “valuable inputs” to the state government.
Apart from submitting a joint report to the state government for promotion of tourism in the state, the legislators scheduled to return home on January 24 would also meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Sarat Kar to apprise them about their trip.
According to Kalpataru Das, a senior BJD legislator and the leader of the group, the main objective of the twin tour is to promote coastal and Buddhist tourism in the state. The legislators are scheduled to interact with members of the Buddhist societies in both Thailand and Singapore to attract foreign tourists to Buddhist sites in Orissa.
Many in the state, however, feel that the trip of the legislators was unnecessary especially when the loan burden of the state government has skyrocketed. “The state is currently borrowing fresh loans to repay the interest of the previous loans and the government is facing difficulties in spending money for developmental activities because of the fiscal crisis. The government is also facing an uphill task to pay salaries to teachers and other employees.
A section of the local media has already described the tour as a “pleasure trip” for the legislators at the state government’s cost. In fact, before they embarked on the trip on Tuesday, some members of the touring party conceded to reporters that the trip was also aimed at spending some good time in beautiful tourist destinations like Thailand and Singapore.
“Apart from the official activities, the trip would also provide us an opportunity to relax in the new year”, said BJD legislator Bikram Arokh, a member of the touring party.
The MLAs include 15 from the ruling BJD-BJP combine and one from Congress, the principal opposition party in the state.
The trip has already become a major topic of discussion in the state’s political, bureaucrat and media circles as it has reportedly been sponsored by a few state-owned public sector undertakings (PSUs). The cumulative loss of the Orissa PSUs is running to crores of rupees.
The trip has officially been billed as a “study tour” for the legislators who would examine the tourism and urban development sectors in Singapore and Thailand and will offer their “valuable inputs” to the state government.
Apart from submitting a joint report to the state government for promotion of tourism in the state, the legislators scheduled to return home on January 24 would also meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Sarat Kar to apprise them about their trip.
According to Kalpataru Das, a senior BJD legislator and the leader of the group, the main objective of the twin tour is to promote coastal and Buddhist tourism in the state. The legislators are scheduled to interact with members of the Buddhist societies in both Thailand and Singapore to attract foreign tourists to Buddhist sites in Orissa.
Many in the state, however, feel that the trip of the legislators was unnecessary especially when the loan burden of the state government has skyrocketed. “The state is currently borrowing fresh loans to repay the interest of the previous loans and the government is facing difficulties in spending money for developmental activities because of the fiscal crisis. The government is also facing an uphill task to pay salaries to teachers and other employees.
A section of the local media has already described the tour as a “pleasure trip” for the legislators at the state government’s cost. In fact, before they embarked on the trip on Tuesday, some members of the touring party conceded to reporters that the trip was also aimed at spending some good time in beautiful tourist destinations like Thailand and Singapore.
“Apart from the official activities, the trip would also provide us an opportunity to relax in the new year”, said BJD legislator Bikram Arokh, a member of the touring party.