Haryana Revises Foreign Travel Approval Rules: Chief Secretary’s Clearance Now Mandatory Before CM’s Approval
The Haryana Government has introduced a mandatory preliminary scrutiny mechanism for all official foreign travel proposals. Under the revised procedure, requests involving IAS and other government employees must first be examined by the Chief Secretary’s Office before being submitted to the Chief Minister for final approval.
The Haryana Government has tightened its administrative oversight of official foreign visits, making prior scrutiny by the Chief Secretary’s Office compulsory for all overseas travel proposals involving government officials and employees.
The revised procedure, notified on October 30, 2026, requires all proposals to be routed through the office of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi (1990-batch IAS officer, Haryana cadre) before they can be placed before Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini for final consideration.
The new mechanism covers All India Services officers, state government employees belonging to Groups A, B, C and D, as well as personnel working in government boards, corporations and statutory bodies.
The move is aimed at ensuring greater administrative accountability, uniformity and financial discipline in approving official foreign visits. It will also ensure that every proposal undergoes a preliminary assessment of its necessity, eligibility and compliance with applicable service rules before reaching the Chief Minister.
No Direct Foreign Travel Proposals to Chief Minister
According to the directive issued by the Chief Secretary’s Office, the government observed that proposals seeking permission for official foreign visits were being submitted directly to the Chief Minister.
To streamline the process and strengthen administrative scrutiny, the government has now made the Chief Secretary’s Office an essential intermediate authority in the approval mechanism.
Consequently, departments and other concerned government establishments will no longer be able to forward foreign travel proposals directly to the Chief Minister. All such requests must first undergo preliminary examination by the Chief Secretary’s Office.
The directive also makes it clear that obtaining cadre clearance from the Chief Secretary’s Office alone will not automatically qualify a proposal for approval. Each request must undergo a comprehensive preliminary assessment before being forwarded to the competent authority.
Which Foreign Visits Will Require Prior Scrutiny?
The revised procedure covers a wide range of official overseas engagements undertaken by Haryana government personnel. These include:
* Study Tours: Foreign visits organised for administrative exposure, institutional learning and study programmes.
* Training Programmes: Overseas training, capacity-building initiatives and professional development assignments.
* International Conferences and Seminars: Participation in global conferences, seminars and professional events.
* Official Delegations: Foreign visits undertaken as members of government or departmental delegations.
* Official Meetings: Overseas travel for meetings, consultations and other government-related engagements.
The scope of the order extends beyond regular government departments. Employees and representatives of Haryana’s government boards, corporations and statutory bodies will also be covered by the revised approval mechanism.
What Will the Chief Secretary’s Office Examine?
Under the new arrangement, the Chief Secretary’s Office will undertake a preliminary assessment of several important aspects before forwarding a foreign travel proposal for further approval.
The scrutiny will broadly focus on the following parameters:
1. Eligibility of the Officer or Employee
The concerned authority will examine whether the individual meets the prescribed eligibility conditions for undertaking the proposed foreign visit under the applicable government rules.
2. Frequency of Foreign Travel
The previous foreign travel record of the officer or employee will also be considered to assess how frequently overseas visits have been undertaken.
3. Administrative Necessity
The office will evaluate whether the proposed visit serves a genuine administrative, institutional or professional requirement and whether it is justified in the public interest.
4. Availability of Funds
The financial implications of the proposed visit will be examined, including whether sufficient budgetary provisions are available to meet the expenditure.These checks are intended to ensure that overseas assignments are supported by clear administrative objectives and do not result in unnecessary expenditure of public funds.
Chief Minister Retains Final Approval Authority
Despite introducing an additional layer of scrutiny, the Haryana Government has not transferred the final decision-making authority from the Chief Minister. The Chief Secretary’s Office will undertake the preliminary examination and forward eligible proposals for the Chief Minister’s consideration and final orders.
Thus, the revised mechanism establishes a structured two-stage process: mandatory preliminary scrutiny by the Chief Secretary’s Office, followed by final approval at the Chief Minister’s level.
Haryana Government Seeks Greater Accountability in Official Foreign Travel
The revised procedure reflects the state government’s emphasis on strengthening administrative supervision over official overseas visits.
By making preliminary scrutiny compulsory, the government intends to ensure that foreign travel proposals are assessed on objective grounds, with due consideration given to administrative requirements, individual eligibility and financial implications.
The new arrangement is expected to bring greater consistency and transparency to the approval process while ensuring that official foreign visits are undertaken only when adequately justified.
For IAS officers, other government employees and personnel serving in state-controlled institutions, the change means that the Chief Secretary’s Office will now play a mandatory role in the clearance process before any official foreign travel proposal reaches the Chief Minister.
