Kerala CM tops in foreign trips, reveals RTI

THRISSUR: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran had the highest number of foreign jaunts during the present tenure of the LDF ministry, as per the RTI replies.While the CM had undertaken 14 foreign trips, Surendran had gone abroad 13 times from 2016 to 2020, the RTI replies, received by KPCC secretary Shaji Kodankandath, have revealed.Kodankandath said the authorities, however, have not disclosed the cost of those trips and whether the Centre had given sanction for those trips. According to the replies, the CM had undertaken 12 official foreign trips, one private trip and one trip for medical treatment. Of the 13 trips of Surendran, nine were official, while four were private.Minister E P Jayarajan had undertaken seven foreign travels, and out of them, six were official trips and one was a private trip.Ministers T M Thomas Isaac, K K Shailaja and A K Saseendran had gone abroad six times each.The replies also revealed that ministers K T Jaleel, A K Balan and V S Sunilkumar went abroad five times each during this period.