According to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), many didn't bother to obtain necessary permissions and clearances, others drew $ 56,241 extra as daily allowance, others did not submit bills for more than Rs 58 lakh taken as advance and some did not even attend the event for which they had gone.

Among them are politicians, including former chief minister Dilip Parikh, former ministers Ranjitsinh Zala, Narsinh Padiyar, Ranjitbhai Patel, Umesh Rajyaguru and Jashabhai Barad, besides top IAS officers.

The CAG describes the conduct as ``serious irregularity and impropriety which would need investigation by the Government''. But sources say the Government has done nothing, not even for the recovery of the money for which no accounts had been given. Those who drew $ 56,241 by way ofexcess daily allowance, says the report, include former ministers Ranjitsinh Zala, Ranjitbhai Patel, Umesh Rajyaguru, Narsinh Padiyar and Jashabhai Barad and IAS officers Ashok Chawla, Gauri Kumar, V.R.S. Cowlagi, V.R. Parmar, K.N. Shelat, A.D. Desai, S. Jagdeeshan and Varesh Sinha. They had drawn more than their entitlement, the report adds.

Those who drew Rs 58.32 lakh as advance but did not submit bills for more than a year include former ministers Dilip Parikh, Ranjeetsinh Zala, Umesh Rajyaguru, Raghavji Patel and Jasabhai Barad and IAS officers Ashok Chawla, Ravi Saxena, Bhagyesh Jha, Gauri Kumar, V.R.S. Cowlagi, A.D. Desai, K. Kailashnathan, S.Y. Bhatt, V.R. Parmar, K.N. Shelat, K.V. Bhanujan, C.K. Koshy, V.V.R. Subbarao, and A.W.P. David.

Besides, says the CAG report, in 10 of the 21 cases, no proposal for the foreign tour was submitted to the Ministry of Finance. Four ministers went on foreign tours without the approval of the Prime Minister -- Dilip Parikh and Ranjitsinh Zala, both twice, UmeshRajyaguru and Jashabhai Barad. In 10 cases, foreign exchange was obtained through boards and corporations without the sanction of the Ministry of Finance and in violation of Government instructions and the RBI's rules.

In seven cases, no tour report was submitted. In four cases, undated tour reports were submitted. In one case, K.N. Shelat, A.D. Desai and S. Jagdeeshan visited Oman, Qatar and Dubai to attract investment from NRIs, but the tour report said the travel was for import of liquefied natural gas.

Some did not even bother staying for the event that they gone for. Minister Raghavji Patel and Deputy Secretary S.Y. Bhatt visited Canada to attend a folk festival. They landed there on June 27 and left on July 3, when the event hadn't even begun. Although it was a sponsored visit, the Government footed their bill.

The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister was sanctioned leave from August 26 to September 12 to visit the United States of America. While he was there, the Government felt that hecould study ``non-conventional energy and energy conservation measures in the United States of America and the system of redressal of grievances and administrative reforms''. On Government request, the Indian embassy paid him $ 1,107.45 for his expenses. The Government also reimbursed his air fare of Rs 50,283.