Maha legislators’ study tour to Japan cancelled, min scraps vacation plan

Chaitanya.Marpakwar



Mumbai: Assembly Speaker
Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said a study tour of Maharashtra’s legislators to
Japan has been cancelled in response to PM Narendra Modi’s call for judicious
use of fuel and postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other
measures to strengthen the economy in the wake of the West Asia conflict. The
tour to Japan was slated to take place from May 23 to June 2. State tourism
minister Shambhuraje Desai also cancelled his scheduled trip to London and
Paris on Tuesday.



Culture minister Ashish Shelar had declared on Monday
that he was cancelling his trip to Cannes for the film festival.



Around a dozen legislators were to travel to Japan for
around 10 days to visit Tokyo and the Yokohama and Wakayama prefectures. “The
prefectures of Yokohama and Wakayama had extended an invitation to the
Maharashtra legislature. This is a tour to study and exchange best
parliamentary practices. The delegation was also going to visit the Japanese
Diet, which is their national parliament. However, in the wake of PM Modi’s
appeal, we have decided to cancel this trip for now,” Narwekar said.



Maharashtra and Japan’s Wakayama prefecture maintain a “sister
state” relationship designed to foster economic, technological and cultural
collaboration. The partnership was first established in 2013 and was renewed in
2023 for another five years, with plans to expand into new sectors through 2028.



Officials said tourism minister Desai of the Shiv Sena had
planned a family trip abroad around three months ago. “The trip included major
cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam. It was going to be a planned family
vacation. However, Desai cancelled the tour in order to prioritize national
interest and to reach out to the public with the message of saving foreign
exchange,” officials said.



Shelar had announced on Monday that he would not be
attending this year’s Cannes Film Festival in response to PM Modi’s appeal to
prioritise national interest and exercise restraint in expenditure during the
current difficult situation facing the country. Shelar said a decision has been
taken to exercise restraint in departmental expenditure keeping national interest
as the highest priority during challenging times.