Govt gives in, Gehlot to set off on US trip

Controversy over Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s proposed visit to New York to attend an event being organised by Rajasthan Ass...

Controversy over Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s proposed visit to New York to attend an event being organised by Rajasthan Association of North Americans (RANA) has ended with the Centre permitting him to make it an official tour.

Gehlot will lead a 15 member delegation to New York where non-resident Rajasthanis are holding a three-day conference beginning July 4.

Shinde also leaves for US

MUMBAI: Maharashtra CM Sushilkumar Shinde also left for a 10-day visit to the US to explore possibilities of attracting industrial investments for the state. Shinde is scheduled to meet several IT sector bigwigs with whom he would discuss business opportunities in Maharashtra. Besides, he is scheduled to inaugurate ‘‘Destination Maharashtra,’’ a programme organised by MIDC at Los Angeles and at New York, during which presentations would be made on investment opportunities in the state. Shinde will meet representatives of companies like HP, Oracle and Guava Technology and executives of Tie Charter — the highest body of NRIs. He will also have meetings with Marathi-speaking businessmen. Apart from meeting representatives from Morgan Stanley and AIG, he will participate in World Marathi Conference scheduled for July 3 and 4.

Earlier, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had refused to recommend Gehlot’s visit, his first to any foreign country since he took over as Chief Minister in 1998. Making the denial a political issue Gehlot refused to go to the US in personal capacity as suggested by the MEA. However, now the Centre has allowed the Chief Minister to make his New York tour an official visit, official sources aid. The state government has sent three tonnes of material for display at the conference whose organisers have promised a Rs 1 crore contribution towards drought relief in the state.

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