Maharashtra Officials Resume Foreign Tours After Three Months of Austerity
MUMBAI — Three months after the Maharashtra state government imposed strict austerity measures barring foreign travel, official overseas tours by state bureaucrats have resumed. Delegations from the Maharashtra Maritime Board and the state sports department are scheduled to visit Germany and Canada for international events and presentations.
The resumption of official travel follows an austerity drive announced in May by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal during the West Asia crisis. At the time, the state government had halved the number of vehicles in ministerial convoys and cancelled official foreign visits for ministers and bureaucrats to promote public transport and electric vehicles.
Following the directive, Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal issued a circular officially prohibiting foreign tours. The restriction led to the cancellation of multiple planned trips, including a legislative study tour to Japan led by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, a visit to London and Paris by Tourism Minister Shambhuraje Desai, and a visit to Cannes by Culture Minister Ashish Shelar.
Under the newly scheduled trips, three officials from the Maharashtra Maritime Board will travel to Hamburg, Germany, from August 31 to September 6 to participate in the International Maritime Trade Fair. The delegation consists of Chief Executive Officer Pradeep P, Chief Port Officer Capt Praveen Khara, and Administrative Officer Pradip Badhiye.
In addition, a sports department delegation is scheduled to travel to Montreal, Canada, from September 19 to September 25. The officials will present Pune’s official bid to host the UCI Cycle Road World Championships in 2032.
The team heading to Montreal includes Principal Secretary Ranjit Singh Deol, Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and Excise Commissioner Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, Sports and Youth Services Commissioner Deepak Singla, and Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi.
