The government on Wednesday issued 13 directives to discourage foreign travel by government officials spending public money, unless absolutely necessary for national interests.
In a circular issued by the Chief Adviser's Office on Wednesday, the government prohibited officials from traveling abroad in groups unless it is unavoidable.
Chief Adviser's Principal Secretary M. Siraj Uddin Miah signed the circular.
Similar restrictions were imposed in the previous fiscal years due to ongoing dollar shortage, limiting non-essential foreign travel.
In the key directives, the ministries and divisions were asked to prepare a forecast of potential foreign trips for the year and attach the records of foreign tours of the officials along with the proposals to be placed to the Chief Advisers office for his approval.
The authorities have been asked to prepare a centralised database for tracking foreign travel. The Chief Adviser's Office will oversee its framework and manage the data of foreign travel of officials.
In the directives, the ministers and secretaries of the ministries and divisions have been discouraged from traveling abroad together. Exceptions require clear justification based on national interests. The secretaries and department heads may only travel together if it serves a critical national purpose.
According to the circular, proposals for attending seminars or workshops must include details about the rank of invited officials and counterparts from other participating countries. The travel proposals must outline the necessity of the trip and its relevance to the official's responsibilities.
Only relevant experts should be sent abroad for activities like international procurement, pre-shipment inspections or factory acceptance tests.
Government funded low-priority foreign trips must be avoided while recreational travel abroad is strictly prohibited for all government officials.
The officials have been discouraged from taking extended study leaves abroad for long.
The government has reiterated that any exceptions to these rules will require substantial evidence of necessity, ensuring that only essential trips aligned with national priorities are approved. These measures have been taken under efforts to manage foreign currency reserves and optimise public expenditure.
