Kathmandu, August 2

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has directed all district coordination committees and local levels to refrain from sending jumbo teams of office bearers and employees on foreign junkets.

A circular issued by Development Assistance Coordination Section of the MoFAGA yesterday asked them to comply with directives on foreign visit of office-bearers and employees of local levels approved by the Council of Ministers on September 21 last year. The directives prohibit elected representatives and employees of local levels from going on foreign junkets at the expense of federal, provincial or local governments, unless necessary.

The MoFAGA said it issued the circular to curb the trend among office bearers of requesting various non-government organisations and individuals abroad, to invite them for foreign trips.

Some local levels were found submitting proposals to the MoFAGA for foreign visits that didn’t benefit them at all and had large number of members in the proposed delegation. “No more than three persons shall be allowed in a delegation for a foreign visit though it is fully sponsored by concerned organiser,” the circular read.

If there is no sponsor for a foreign junket required to be made by a local level official for obtaining technical and other skills, a proposal for a delegation consisting of up to two persons may be submitted at the MoFAGA. “Local levels are requested to refrain from submitting a proposal for a foreign visit that is not beneficial to the government from financial and technical perspectives,” it stated. The circular aimed to regulate foreign junkets of officials and staffers at local level.

The MoFAGA introduced the directives governing foreign visits of local level office bearers and officials as foreign affairs were under jurisdiction of the federal government. There are 753 local levels and 77 district coordination committees in the country.  As per the directives, local level office bearers, before embarking on a foreign trip, are required to submit all the documents citing valid reasons for their trip. After the trip, they have to submit observation report to the MoFAGA.