Kejriwal awaits Singapore trip approval: What clearances do CMs need to go abroad?
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking permission to attend the World Cities Summit in Singapore to be held in the first week of August. According to Delhi government officials, the file seeking permission to travel to Singapore to attend the summit was sent to Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena’s office on June 7, but it is yet to be cleared. The summit will be held on August 3-4.
AAP had also raised the issue at the all-party meeting held ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
According to senior government officials, Delhi Chief Minister requires administrative approval from the L-G to attend any event outside the country. After L-G’s approval, the file is moved to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for further clearance.
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In 2019, the MEA had denied Kejriwal permission to attend the Copenhagen C40 World Mayors’ Summit in Denmark, forcing him to address the conference through video conferencing. Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had attended the same summit in 2007 in New York.
So, what are the rules and regulations that govern approvals for foreign trip of chief ministers and other leaders.
Mamata denied permission
For a foreign trip, all public servants need political clearance from the MEA, which decides on a basis of inputs like the level of participation from other countries and also the kind of invitation that is extended.
Last year, the Centre had denied permission to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for a visit to Rome where she was scheduled to attend a world peace conference in September.
She was the only Indian invited to attend the conference organised by a Catholic association based in Rome. A TMC leader had then said that the MEA had in a letter stated that the event is not commensurate in status for participation by chief minister of a state.
Past denials
During the previous UPA regime, MEA denied political clearance for trips by then chief ministers Tarun Gogoi (Assam, Congress) to the US and Israel, and to Arjun Munda (Jharkhand, BJP) to Thailand. Gogoi had wanted to visit New York for a “high level meeting” on April 2, 2012; a note from MEA had said “…direct correspondence by a diplomatic mission with a state government being inappropriate”. About his proposed trip to Israel for an event on water and environment technology, the ministry had said, “Concerned agencies would be hard put to provide special consideration for CM, Assam, both from the substantive and protocol angles.”
In 2014, then civil aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa had written to then cabinet secretary Ajit Seth that the system of MEA clearing all proposals for travel abroad by officials should be changed. In reply, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh stressed it was the ministry’s prerogative to decide on the suitability, desirability and level of participation of Indian officials in engagements abroad.
Additional clearances
While all public servants need political clearance for foreign trips, different officers need different additional clearances. Chief ministers, state ministers and other state officials also need clearance from the department of economic affairs. For Union ministers, after getting political clearance from the MEA, additional clearance is needed from the Prime Minister, whether the trip is official or personal.
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Lok Sabha MPs need clearance from the speaker and Rajya Sabha members from the chairperson (Vice-President of India). For various ministry officers up to joint secretary level, clearance is given by the minister concerned after political clearance. For those above that rank, the proposal needs approval of a screening committee of secretaries. Rules vary according to the duration of the visit, the country to be visited, and the number of members in a delegation. If the foreign trip involves the hospitality of organisations other than those of the UN, then FCRA clearance is needed from the home ministry.