Nepal brings new rule to restrict govt officials from foreign junkets

Kathmandu, May 1
The government of Nepal has introduced a new rule in a bid to control unnecessary foreign visits involving government officials.
The Foreign Visit Management Directive says ministers, secretaries and other government officials cannot go on foreign trips at the expense of contractors or consultants.
This provision, however, will not restrict officials from going abroad at the expense of government itself for acquisition of special skills, training and other forms of knowledge.
Likewise, the rule also has specific provisions on recommendation and selection of officials to go abroad for such programmes. Criteria for such visits include relevance of the issues, the officials’ expertise, work performance, seniority among others.
Meanwhile, officials representing remote places and local and provincial levels will be given the priority.
Officials visiting any country should submit a travel report and a plan of action to implement the learning within 15 days. Otherwise, they will be barred from such trips for next two years.