Govt restricts all official foreign trips, nixes nods

Panaji: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to cut unnecessary foreign travels, Goa govt on Thursday issued an office memorandum restricting official visits of public servants with immediate effect.The restrictions also apply to already sanctioned foreign travel plans, permissions for which now stand cancelled. The office memorandum issued by the finance department states that the restrictions have been imposed in view of the global scenario and to conserve foreign exchange reserves. The order will remain in force until further notice.A govt official said senior officials of a few departments and, at times, ministers travel abroad for study tours, but the tourism department’s expenses are high as its participation in road shows and travel marts is inevitable.In 2025-26, (up to Jan) Goa Tourism participated in events in Muscat, Dubai, Denmark, Norway, Uzbekistan, Russia, Singapore, London, Bahrain and Malaysia. With the ban on foreign travel, an official said the department will not be able to execute its marketing plans in foreign markets until the order is withdrawn.