Health Minister Shandil, son latest to join league
Munish Sood
MANDI:
Himachal Pradesh is reeling under what experts are calling its worst natural calamity in history. Villages lie in ruins, families are displaced and the state treasury is so strained that even employee salaries are delayed.
The government itself is pleading with the Centre to declare this a national disaster. Yet, in the middle of this humanitarian and financial crisis, the state’s political leadership appears to have its priorities elsewhere — on foreign trips under the label of “exposure visits”, alleged opposition BJP.
First, Vikramaditya Singh flew to Japan. Then, Education Minister Rohit Thakur embarked on his trip. This was followed by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s own visit to London, though it was a personal tour. Now, a 10-member delegation, including health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil and his son, is proposed to fly abroad.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur wasted no time in attacking the government. Calling the tours “ill-timed and extravagant,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “At a time when Himachal is grappling with calamity and economic hardship, this government finds it appropriate to send a 10-member team abroad — and then calls it an ‘exposure visit’ while wrongly labelling its own Health Minister’s son as a criminal. A comedy of errors or a tragedy of governance?”
Public anger: Shouldn’t this money go to flood victims?
Citizens are questioning the timing and intent of these foreign tours: “Crores spent on travel could have provided permanent housing for displaced families. The same money could have bolstered relief camps struggling with food and supplies. Employees waiting for their dues could have been paid on time.”
For many, these trips are nothing more than luxury holidays at taxpayer expense. “This is not unique to Himachal. Across India, exposure visits have become a convenient political euphemism. A few photos surface of official meetings abroad. The rest of the time, leaders are spotted at tourist landmarks, shopping districts and luxury hotels. The public gains little to nothing, while politicians return home with selfies — and an inflated travel bill footed by taxpayers,” said an X user.
Congress leader Kaul Singh defends tour
Senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur defended the trips, saying these were not funded directly by the government but from NORQOR (Non-Resident Quota) allocations, with each legislator allotted ₹5 lakh or more. According to him, the money was pre-sanctioned, not an additional burden on the state.
But critics argue: does it matter which fund the money comes from? In the middle of a disaster, shouldn’t every rupee be directed toward relief and rehabilitation rather than sightseeing abroad?
In a state devastated by floods and landslides, where families have lost homes and livelihoods, leaders jetting off abroad under the pretext of “exposure visits” is being seen as tone-deaf governance at its worst.
