India News

Make expenses for Air India charter flights for PM Modi’s foreign trips public: CIC

Published

9 years ago

February 27, 2018

Make expenses for Air India charter flights for PM Modi’s foreign trips public: CIC - APN Live

In an order that could cause much discomfiture to the BJP and give the Opposition some ammunition to target the Centre, the Central Information Commission has directed the Union External Affairs Ministry to disclose records related to the expenses incurred on chartering Air India aircraft for foreign visits of the prime minister from 2013 to 2017.

Though the period covered under the CIC order includes the last year of Dr Manmohan Singh’s prime ministerial tenure too (April 2013 to March 2014), the Opposition as well as Modi’s critics among common citizens would be keenly looking forward to the MEA’s response as the expenditure incurred on these chartered flights is expected to run into several crores of rupees. The likely narrative that Modi bashers would want to build, if and when these details are indeed made public, would be of the lavish spending that the Prime Minister has done of the exchequer’s money through his seemingly endless foreign visits and the corresponding monetary return – or lack of it – that this expenditure has brought for India’s economy.

Passing the order, Chief Information Commissioner RK Mathur rejected the contention of the MEA that details of the amount, reference numbers, dates of bills raised by Indian Air Force and Air India for the foreign visits undertaken by the Prime Minister(s) are scattered across various records and files and that collation of this information would involve searching of voluminous records by a significant number of officials.

The CIC order came against an application filed by one Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Commodore Batra had sought details of bills, invoices and other records related to foreign visits of the prime ministers between financial years 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Ever since assuming the office of Prime Minister in May 2014, Modi has been criticised for spending more time visiting countries than being in India. As of February 2018, Modi has visited 53 countries spread across six continents and 35 foreign trips.

Modi has visited USA on five occasions in the past four years and made three visits each to China, Germany, France and Russia. His robust international travel itinerary has also featured visits to countries like Afghanistan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, UAE, Uzbekistan (twice each) and Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the UK and Vietnam (once each), among others.

The order of the CIC comes after Batra, who had sought these details on several earlier occasions from various Indian high commissions abroad and the MEA, approached the Commission in appeal and claimed that he had either denied information or was provided with only selective details. He submitted before the CIC that he was seeking the said information in public interest, so that the common taxpayers can be informed of how their money was be spent by the Prime Minister and at what stage or with which public authority these bills and invoices for the foreign trips of the prime ministers were pending for payment.

“Air India is a cash-strapped airline that does not make money. Therefore, delay in settling these bills would also include sizable interest figure(s), which needs to be paid at the expense of tax payers money,” Batra had said. He had also insisted that denial of this information on the grounds of compromising national security – a clause often cited by public authorities to deny requested information – was incorrect as details sought by him are in the nature of the liabilities of the consumer(s) to pay back for the services rendered by Air India.

The CIC concluded that payment of outstanding dues would ultimately require collating of these bills and invoices and rejected the argument of the MEA that collation would disproportionately divert its resources. The Chief Information Commissioner said even if payment was made against these bills, it would have been done after compiling of bills/invoices.

“Further, whatever payment is to be made, it needs to be done after collecting the bills/invoices. In view of this, the Commission is of the opinion that the respondent (MEA) should provide to the appellant (Batra) travel bills relating to ‘Air India’ from FYs. 2013-14 to 2016-17,” the CIC order says.

—With Agency inputs, India Legal Bureau

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Yogi Adityanath takes a dig at Akhilesh Yadav over Ram Temple visit plan

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.

Published

5 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his planned visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying those who had fired on Ram devotees should first apologise to them and to the saints.

Yogi made the remarks while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He did not name Akhilesh Yadav directly.

Yogi’s remarks come after Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit plan

The chief minister’s comments came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12. It would be his first visit to the temple since its inauguration, according to the report.

Yogi said those who had earlier neglected and insulted Ayodhya, opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should come to the city only after seeking forgiveness.

“Let them apologise to the devotees of Lord Ram; let them apologise to the saints,” Yogi said, adding that they should repent for their past actions.

Reference to 1990 firing on kar sevaks

Yogi’s remarks referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government was headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father.

The chief minister said those who had once “bloodied” Ayodhya were now remembering the city. He also criticised political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, referring to the decorum of a katha.

Akhilesh has not yet visited the Ram Temple

Akhilesh Yadav has visited Ayodhya earlier but has not so far visited the Ram Temple. The SP leader was in the city on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by party leader Pawan Pandey.

According to the report, Akhilesh and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, are scheduled to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

The planned visit comes amid political activity in Ayodhya ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due by February 2027.

Yogi highlights Ayodhya’s transformation

During his Deepotsav address, Yogi also spoke about the changes in Ayodhya and described the city’s transformation as an ideological victory.

He said those who had previously neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its development. He also said Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect.

The chief minister further recalled the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said Ayodhya had regained the glory for which kar sevaks and saints had struggled.

India News

Ahead of Diwali, Yogi govt hikes DA by 5% for UP government staff

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased Dearness Allowance by 5 percentage points, taking it from 58% to 63%. The revised rate will benefit lakhs of eligible employees ahead of Diwali.

Published

6 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a 5 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees ahead of Diwali. With this revision, the DA rate has increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent, providing financial relief to lakhs of eligible employees across the state.

The revised allowance will be effective from July 1, 2026, according to the government announcement. A government order was also issued on Saturday, November 7.

The enhanced DA will be paid along with employees’ regular November 2026 salaries.

Which employees will benefit from the DA hike?

The decision covers regular state government employees and several other categories of eligible staff.

These include employees of aided educational and technical institutions, regular and full-time employees of urban local bodies, work-charged employees and personnel drawing salaries under University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales.

The revision is expected to benefit a large section of the Uttar Pradesh workforce ahead of the festive season.

What happens to the DA arrears?

The revised DA rate will apply retrospectively from July 1, 2026. Consequently, employees will also be entitled to arrears for the period preceding the November salary payment.

The government has made provisions for the payment of the arrears for July to October 2026. These amounts will be credited to employees’ provident fund accounts, according to the reported payment arrangements.

The enhanced allowance for November will be reflected in the regular salary for that month.

The decision comes ahead of Diwali and will provide additional financial relief to eligible government employees in Uttar Pradesh.

India News

Himanta Sarma to approach court over threat to gherao home in Zubeen case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would approach the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court over a threat to gherao his residence if two prime accused in the Zubeen Garg death case are granted bail.

Published

8 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government would bring before the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court a threat by a group to gherao his residence in connection with the Zubeen Garg death case.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma described the threat as a serious matter, saying it posed a danger to his family and could amount to a direct attempt to murder.

The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on November 30 of the bail petitions filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, the two prime accused in the case.

Why Himanta Sarma plans to approach the courts

Sarma said he had instructed the state government’s legal department to bring the matter to the notice of both the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister objected to the group threatening to target his residence rather than holding a protest near the Chief Minister’s Office.

He said those questioning the judicial process should approach the Supreme Court or the high court instead of targeting him. Sarma also maintained that the courts should be allowed to carry out their work.

According to him, attempts to question the judicial process in this manner could obstruct the path of justice.

What the group said about the bail pleas

The Zubeen Garg Nyay Samiti, led by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, had announced on Thursday that it would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence under certain circumstances.

The group said it would carry out the protest if Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma were granted bail or if the Assam government failed to mount an effective legal opposition to their bail pleas.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of the two accused on November 30.

Bail granted to two accused in the case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta, an accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, on October 9. She was granted bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The high court has also granted bail to Sandipan Garg in the case.

Referring to the bail order concerning Amritprava Mahanta, Sarma said it mentioned that 160 witnesses had not named her during the court hearing, despite having done so during the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Responding to questions over the development, Sarma said the witnesses should be questioned about the discrepancy rather than him.

What happened to Zubeen Garg?

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.

Police in Singapore had said that no foul play was involved in his death. Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).