The talk of austerity in Delhi is possibly not loud enough to reach the BJP-ruled state of Chhattisgarh. Chief Minister Raman Singh and his top babus last week concluded a weeklong “working trip” to South Africa and Mauritius, in the company of their families.

They stayed at the Kruger National Park — the largest game reserve in South Africa — and visited Johannesburg and Cape Town. They also attended the third annual South African Trade and Investment Conference and Exhibition and met office-bearers of the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industries, exploring possibilities of forging business and industrial ties.

Apart from the CM and his family, including wife, son and daughter, Chief Secretary P Joy Oommen and his wife were part of the tour. Others included CM’s Principal Secretary N Baijendra Kumar, OSD Vikram Sisodiya, and Secretary (Energy) Aman Singh. Spouses of all officials, except one, joined the trip from October 23 to 31. Incidentally, the Chief Secretary’s tour came within 10 days after he returned from the US.

Initially, sources said, the High Commission in South Africa recommended against the visit, saying that no serious preparation went into it and there was no real trade or investment link between South Africa and Chhattisgarh.

Interestingly, the South African Trade and Investment Conference and Exhibition, attended by the delegation, in fact targeted at “promoting South Africa’s image abroad and attracting investment into that country”. Oommen told The Indian Express, “The High Commission had some reservation about the timing of our visit. Many other delegations were to come. May be because of the workload, they were trying to avoid. But the tour was okayed after we sent our programme details.”

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