MP: No records of Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s foreign visits, says his office

Indian Express‎‎: Bhopal: Monday, August 29, 2016.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s office does not maintain records of his visits abroad, the CMO has said in response to an RTI query.

“According to the Chief Minister’s residential office, no coordination of his foreign trips is done,” the Officer on Special Duty in the CMO P C Sakya said in response to the RTI query filed by transparency activist Ajay Dubey, without giving any details.

Dubey had sought details of the Chief Minister’s visit to China in June this year through a Right To Information application. The query was filed with the General Administration Department of the state government which transferred it to the Chief Minister’s Office.

“The CM’s office has declined to share details of his foreign tours. As per the central government’s directive, all public authorities should suo motu disclose such details on their websites as part of a mandatory obligation under RTI Act. But the state government is yet to act on it,” Dubey said.

He demanded that such details be put in public domain immediately. Chouhan is on a five-day tour of the US beginning Sunday. He will meet potential investors in the US and apprise them of “favourable” investment climate in the state, according to a press release by MP government.