Minimise foreign tours: Azad
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cracked down on frequent foreign trips of the ministers, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has now decided to crack a whip on foreign tours of senior officials in his ministry.
Having observed that a large number of tour proposals for participation in international conferences/workshops are being put up for his consideration and approval, the Union health minister in a strongly worded letter has asked senior officials to “rationalise” and “regulate” the trips on the basis of “utmost essentially.” The letter has been sent to all the officials in the health ministry.
The minister has instead asked the officials to monitor Central schemes and particularly new programmes initiated by the Centre. He also desired progress reports be sent to him on monthly basis. “The minister strongly felt that such programmes should be regulated and has advised the officials to prepare their tour programmes accordingly,” sources disclosed.
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Mamata meeet PM, seeks aid
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, Oct. 21
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday in what was a rare visit to New Delhi with a laundry list for shoring up the state’s fiscal health and boosting infrastructure works.
She reminded the Prime Minister that West Bengal should be treated differently from the other states of India because it did not see development of any sort during the 35-year-rule by the Left parties.
In addition to Ms Banerjee’s earlier demand for a special financial package of `1,900 crore from the Centre, she sought a moratorium on repayment of central loan, a `500-crore package for the development of hill areas, and bonus of `400 for the jute farmers in the state, among others.
She also raised the issues of filling up of vacant posts of IAS and IPS officers and development of infrastructure, particularly repair of National Highways 31 and 34.
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