Foreign junkets
The Himalayan Times
26 October 2017
Foreign
junkets
It was not surprising but
unfortunate to read the news concerning foreign junkets of bureaucrats and
ministers at a time when the country is gearing towards holding two crucial
elections in another three weeks time. Millions of rupees are spent from state
coffers every year on their foreign visits. However, it does not seem so far
that the nation has benefitted out of these trips. Their priority seems to be
visiting foreign countries rather focusing on issues concerning general public
“Bureaucrats’, ministers’ foreign junkets top Cabinet agenda” (THT, Oct. 25,
Page 1).
Surprisingly, during the last
three cabinet meeting in the last fortnight, 25 out of 78 agenda were about
bureaucrats’ and ministers’ foreign visits; 10 out of the 26 agenda that the
cabinet discussed on last Monday were related to foreign visits. Defence
Secretary Shreedhar Sapkota flew to Japan to inspect wheel loader track dozer
that Nepal wanted to buy for the Kathmandu-Madhes expressway even before the
Cabinet approved his visit on Monday “Flying abroad before Cabinet approval”
(THT, Oct 25, Page 1). Couldn’t the government assign his juniors for such a procurement
job? This shows that how serious is the government in dealing with the national
issues and concerns affecting the lives of the common people.
Another funny news to read was
that Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Bir Bahadur Balarar has
gone to Hongkong to participate in the 27th conference of the
International Railway Safety Council that began last Sunday. Was it necessary
for the minister to participate in such irrelevant conference? Does PM Deuba
not have control over the ministers and bureaucrats? Or does he want to please
them thinking that they would cooperate with him whenever their favour is asked
for? Otherwise, why does not he control such unproductive foreign visits? Time
has come for the government to be serious about laying down the necessary
criteria about the foreign visits of the government officials and ministers.
Rai
Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
http://epaper.thehimalayantimes.com/textview_4621_3843_4_1_8_26-10-2017_71_0.html
