New Delhi:
Union Telecom Minister A Raja, in the eye of a controversy over the spectrum scam, was snubbed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) with a proposed trip to Estonia turned down. Mr Raja wanted to lead a large delegation to learn everything about e-governance. The PMO said no to Raja's proposal.
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) supports the Congress party, so A Raja sailed through the 2 G crisis. There was little Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could do.
But it seems Dr Singh has acted tough - clipped Raja's wings - ended his plans for a foreign jaunt. Perhaps to escape charges of wasting government funds.
A Raja wanted to lead a 26-member delegation to tiny Estonia - the Baltic nation. This included A Raja himself, three MPs and 22 officials.
All, including the minister, were headed to Estonia, much cooler than Delhi in June, to learn the finer points of e-governance.
When NDTV asked the Information and Technology Minister whether he was going to Estonia, he said, "I did not go.....because the Prime Minister has to give me permission."
Sources in the Department of Information Technology, headed by Raja, said that the travel plans included reaching the Estonian capital Tallinn via Finland. The return involved another European nation.
Sources also said that the PMO's polite no came because the reasons given for the large delegation were inadequate. Perhaps because the travel plan was a perfect blend of business and pleasure.
The Estonia visit was to start on June 7 and end on June 13, with just 20 hours of workshop on e-governance in 7 days. The rest of the time was to be spent admiring the sights and sounds of Tallinn.
Moreover, the evaluators of the trip felt that Estonia couldn't teach India much.
Sources in the government told NDTV not to look for political reasons in the no to Raja's trip. But e-governance experts said there was little India can learn from Estonia when it comes to e-governance. India's population is over 100 crores and that of Estonia 13 lakh.
"Estonia has done well in e-governance, but look at the size of the country. At such small scales, things can succeed, but India is a huge complex country. Estonia trip would have been a waste," said Samir Sachdev, an expert on e-governance.
The government, it seems, has done itself a favour. The Opposition was sharpening its knives over the trip. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) S S Ahluwalia, an invitee, had declined. Experts in the Department of Information Technology said that the better e-governance models were Tiawan, Singapore and Malaysia. But perhaps they aren't the perfect getaways from the June heat in Delhi and Chennai.
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) supports the Congress party, so A Raja sailed through the 2 G crisis. There was little Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could do.
But it seems Dr Singh has acted tough - clipped Raja's wings - ended his plans for a foreign jaunt. Perhaps to escape charges of wasting government funds.
A Raja wanted to lead a 26-member delegation to tiny Estonia - the Baltic nation. This included A Raja himself, three MPs and 22 officials.
All, including the minister, were headed to Estonia, much cooler than Delhi in June, to learn the finer points of e-governance.
When NDTV asked the Information and Technology Minister whether he was going to Estonia, he said, "I did not go.....because the Prime Minister has to give me permission."
Sources in the Department of Information Technology, headed by Raja, said that the travel plans included reaching the Estonian capital Tallinn via Finland. The return involved another European nation.
Sources also said that the PMO's polite no came because the reasons given for the large delegation were inadequate. Perhaps because the travel plan was a perfect blend of business and pleasure.
The Estonia visit was to start on June 7 and end on June 13, with just 20 hours of workshop on e-governance in 7 days. The rest of the time was to be spent admiring the sights and sounds of Tallinn.
Moreover, the evaluators of the trip felt that Estonia couldn't teach India much.
Sources in the government told NDTV not to look for political reasons in the no to Raja's trip. But e-governance experts said there was little India can learn from Estonia when it comes to e-governance. India's population is over 100 crores and that of Estonia 13 lakh.
"Estonia has done well in e-governance, but look at the size of the country. At such small scales, things can succeed, but India is a huge complex country. Estonia trip would have been a waste," said Samir Sachdev, an expert on e-governance.
The government, it seems, has done itself a favour. The Opposition was sharpening its knives over the trip. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) S S Ahluwalia, an invitee, had declined. Experts in the Department of Information Technology said that the better e-governance models were Tiawan, Singapore and Malaysia. But perhaps they aren't the perfect getaways from the June heat in Delhi and Chennai.
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