Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has come down heavily on the Ministry of External Affairs (CAG) for sending a Haj goodwill delegation to Saudi Arabia every year without taking into account the expenditure involved.
Usually in such delegations, more than 30 people are sent for 18 to 20 days to promote goodwill between the two countries.
"We don't see the need of 34 members if they have to attend King's dinner," AK Thakur, Director General, CAG, said.
CAG has categorically said that these delegations are extravagant and cumbersome and letting spouses and family members to accompany the delegation contributes to further extravagance.
CAG says MEA has no fixed criteria to determine who should be part of such delegations. From the size of the delegation to the number of people, everything about the delegation is done in an ad-hoc manner.
The delegation is being sent despite repeated recommendations from India's Consul General in Jeddah that such goodwill missions are unnecessary and counter productive. They have time and again told the ministry to cut down the size of the delegation.
"As compared to other countries including Islamic countries our size is very big. We don't know how is going for what and what role they have to perform," the Director General, CAG, said.
MEA also came in for further criticism for wasteful expenditure.
Indian missions in Singapore, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Yangon and Muscat have spent much more than they should have on doing up their gardens
In fact, Indian missions in Beijing, Mandalay, Tripoli and Ulaanbaatar have spent much more than the permissible limit on decorating homes of diplomats.
This is not the first time that the MEA is being hauled up by the CAG. Earlier, too, the auditors have taken exception to diplomats being extravagant.
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