Clearance required by Chief Ministers to travel abroad

Delhi Chief Minister has questioned why the Centre has delayed the clearance of his trip to Singapore.
Singapore has invited him to attend a World Cities Summit scheduled for July 31-August 3.

The government circular issued in May 2015 mandated that Chief Ministers have to inform the Cabinet Secretariat.
- The Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of External Affairs should be informed of the proposed foreign visit, either official or private, of Chief Ministers and Ministers of State Governments/Union Territories.

However, before informing the Cabinet Secretariat, prior political clearance and FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) clearance are mandatory.
In the case of Chief Ministers and Ministers of state governments, a copy of the application must also be sent to the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

It is required for public and government officials planning foreign travel
Which is obtained from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Political Clearance request decision is taken based on multiple factors such as the
1. nature of the event,
2. the level of participation from other countries, and
3. India’s relations with the host country

The concerned Ministry and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) will accept the application only if political clearance from the MEA is attached with the request.
Without this, no public servant can go abroad.

Different officers need different additional clearances.
1. Chief Ministers, Ministers of state governments and other state officials also need clearance from the Department of Economic Affairs.
2. For Union ministers, after getting political clearance from the MEA, an additional license is required from the Prime Minister, whether the trip is official or personal.
3. Lok Sabha MPs need clearance from the Speaker and Rajya Sabha members from the Chairperson (Vice President of India).
4. For officers of various ministries up to the Joint Secretary level, clearance is given by the Minister concerned.

Suppose the foreign trip involves the hospitality of organisations other than the UN. In that case, FCRA clearance is required from the Home Ministry.
For MPs, informing the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha secretariat is not obligatory if the trip i.s private.

For official foreign travel, the proposal by a Supreme Court or High Court judge is sent to the Department of Justice (DoJ) after taking clearance from the Chief Justice of India.
The DoJ approves obtaining Political Clearance from the MEA and, in some cases, from the Home Ministry (where FCRA is involved).
Judges do not need clearance for personal foreign trips.

Content Source: Indian Express