Now Health Min urges officials to practice austerity

Ghulam Nabi Azad asked officials in his ministry to undertake only 'unavoidable' foreign trips and prune domestic travel.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday asked officials in his ministry to undertake only unavoidable foreign trips and prune domestic travel whenever possible.

Azad wrote to his officials asking them to seek his approval only for unavoidable foreign travel and that too with minimum number of members in the delegation,an official in the health ministry said.

He also asked officials to prune domestic travel as far as possible.

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The letter came as a follow-up to the Finance Ministrys circular dated September seven directing ministries to curtail expenses.

Last month,during a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on drought,party President Sonia Gandhi had advised all party ministers,MPs and legislators to donate 20 per cent of their salary for drought relief measures to their respective state governments.

She had also suggested that party workers adopt austerity measures so that their public and private lives reflect concern for those who are less fortunate.

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