New Delhi: Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has approved a foreign tour by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, his secretary and secretary (education) to attend an event TESOL Education Convention in Portland, the US.
Underlining a contradictory proposal on file to this effect by the Education Department that said that the cost of the visit will be borne by the organizers and there will be no financial liability upon the government and at the same time stating that the expenses for Sisodia’s visit shall be borne by the GNCTD, the L-G agreed ‘in principle for the proposed visit, subject to requisite clearances and completion of other codal formalities’.
Sisodia had expressed his willingness to attend the event of TESOL Education Convention along with secretary or director (education) and his own secretary. The Department of Education had moved a proposal to this effect, which came to the L-G for approval.
However, a Governor House official said that the proposal lacks clarity as to who will bear the expenses of Sisodia’s visit.
While in one paragraph, the Department has noted that “all expenses of the visit by Hon’ble DyCM will be borne by the TESOL and there will be no financial liability on the government”, a subsequent paragraph further says that “all expenses of the visit by Hon’ble DyCM will be borne by the GAD, GNCTD”.
Despite noting that both these statements were contradictory to each other and it was not clear as to whether the Delhi government will bear the expenses for Sisodia’s visit or not, L-G Saxena gave in principle approval to the proposed visit, subject to the requisite clearances from the concerned Ministries in the Government of India, including FCRA clearances from the Central government, as is the case with every foreign visit undertaken by any minister or officer of any state.
(IANS)
