No flight of fancy

While some ministers did not lose the opportunity to garner publicity by cancelling their foreign sojourns after the PM’s appeal to cut down on “wasteful expenditure”, others had different ideas about austerity measures. Minister of State for Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria planned a visit to Uttarakhand and pleaded that his six-day-long trip did not involve a foreign destination or air travel. Bhuria packed his itinerary with all tourism sites, including the old temples of Mansa Devi, Chandi Devi and Shiva Temple, along with breaks in Dhanaulti, Chamba, Tehri Dam, Laxman Jhula and Patanjali Yog Ashram. Bhuria’s office also informed the state officials, including the office of Governor and Chief Minister, that the MoS would be accompanied by seven family members and staff members. That’s giving austerity a cold shoulder.