Governors asked not to leave States without President's okay
Stay for 292 days a year : Centre
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India
New Delhi, April 12 2015 :
The Centre has placed travel restrictions on Governors by saying that they have to stay in their respective States for at least 292 days in a year and not leave station until or unless approved by the President.
The fresh diktat from the Central Government under Narendra Modi came after it was noticed that some Governors stayed outside their respective States for a considerable amount of time.
"No visits shall be undertaken without obtaining the prior permission of the President or in emergent or extraordinary circumstances, without prior intimation to the President's Secretariat," the new 18-point set of rules notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
In case of last-minute travel plans, Governors will have to explain the "compelling reasons" for the trip.
The requests for permission to travel outside the State will have to be sent to Rashtrapati Bhavan anywhere between one and six weeks before the date of travel, depending on whether the tour is official or private and on whether the destination is in India or abroad.
Every request will also have to be marked to the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
To ensure that private visits are not passed off as official, the Raj Bhavans will have to send their detailed itinerary to the President for every official visit�domestic or foreign�and keep Rashtrapati Bhavan posted about any changes.
"The duration of such visits of the Governor shall not exceed 20 pc of the days in a calendar year," the notification said.
In case of foreign visits, the communication seeking approval of the President should be received by the President's Secretariat at least six weeks in advance.
"Governors shall invariably obtain clearance under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and political clearance before undertaking the foreign visit," it said.
The new rules were notified after several instances of Governors abusing their privileges came to light, people with knowledge of this matter said.