Karnataka chief minister K Siddaramaiah.
Karnataka's legislators are apparently very thirsty for knowledge. The learning they seek, however, appears to be in lands far, far away.
A six-month-old ban on foreign tours is now on the verge of being challenged. To justify the need for foreign travel, a committee with law-makers from different parties has compiled new parameters that will be submitted later this month to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
"We will see what changes can be made to avoid criticism like before. How to make the trip more purposeful. More useful. That is why a report has been submitted," said K Thimmappa, Speaker of Karnataka Assembly, to NDTV. When asked if the report suggests any sort of budgetary guidelines, he said, "No. Actuals will be reimbursed."
In January, the Chief Minister placed out of bounds what are referred to as "foreign study tours". His decision came after public outrage over a group of legislators who visited Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, billing seven crores at a time when the state and its farmers were being pulverized by drought.
But the travel bug is proving hard to swat away. So the new proposal suggests trips of 20 people each to Russia, South America and Scandinavian countries. It says the objective of the trip and the locations that will help explore that topic must be clearly listed in the itinerary; and a board which includes the Chief Minister and the Speaker must sanction each visit.
Legislators are allowed to travel twice during their five-year term to any country that is chosen by committees they serve on. The bill is picked up by tax-payers.
NDTV has a copy of the report submitted by the law-makers who went to New Zealand and Australia. They reveal, "During our trip to New Zealand we went on a Gandola ride, scenic cruise, saw the Mirror Lake and visited National Parks." The take-away from the tour - 'We should try to maintain cleanliness like these countries. Use technology well."