Cabinet ministers in the first term of the UPA government have spent more than Rs 300 crore on their foreign and domestic travels in the last three years.

The data provided by the Cabinet Secretariat shows more than Rs 137 crore were spent by ministers of cabinet rank on the foreign travels between fiscal 2006-07 and 2008-09 with highest in the year 2007-08 when more than Rs 115 crore were spent by them on such travels.

Surprisingly, the expenses incurred on the domestic travels of cabinet ministers during the period were more than the amount spent on their visits abroad.

There were about 30 ministers of the cabinet rank during the first term of the UPA government.

The records show that during the three-year period, the ministers spent more than Rs 163 crore on their travels within the country.

The expenditure incurred by them during 2008-09 was Rs 94.4 crore, which was 38 per cent more than the cumulative expenditure incurred on domestic travels in the previous two years.

The details were given in an RTI reply to activist S C Agrawal by the Cabinet Secretariat.

The reply also states that Ministers of State in the Union Cabinet had spent about Rs 21 crore on their travels abroad during the period, while Rs 27 crore were spent on their domestic visits.

About Rs 127 crore were spent by the central ministers in 2008-09, Rs 138.7 crore in 2007-08 and about Rs 82.3 crore during 2006-07 on their visits abroad as well as within the country.

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