Austerity drive: Krishna not to use private plane, Pawar flys

New Delhi/Mumbai, Sep 13 (PTI) An austerity drive in the
Union Government gained steam Sunday with India External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna announcing he will not take
private aircraft and travel on commercial flights for his
overseas trips while his colleague Sharad Pawar after some
initial resistance flew economy class in a private airline.

Krishna has decided to forego travel by private aircraft
which he is entitled to use on visits abroad and said he will
travel economy class commercial flights.
"I will not henceforth use private planes for visits
outside the country and will not travel business class,"
Krishna told PTI. "I will go by commercial flights," Krishna
said, adding his delegation will be limited to three persons.
Normally, half-a-dozen officials travel with Krishna.
The immediate fallout of Krishna's decision is that he
will not take the 14-seater Embraer plane for his two-nation
tour to Belarus and Turkmenistan starting Tuesday. The
External Affairs, Defence and Home Ministers are entitled to
use the Embraer for travel abroad.
Pawar, the NCP chief who met his partymen in Mumbai, flew
to Delhi from Mumbai in economy class by private carrier
Kingfisher, an aide of the minister told PTI.
"Pawar will henceforth travel economy," the aide said.

The Agriculture minister had voiced reservations against
the austerity measures at a recent Cabinet meeting. He said
that one of the hazards of travelling in economy class was
constant intrusion by passengers thus hampering file work.
Keeping his large frame in bind, Pawar had also said a person
like him would not be able to squeeze in the economy class.
With Union Ministers apparently bitten by the austerity
bug, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said she has been
practising it for decades. PTI AKK
DDC


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