Bahraini ministers told to cut overseas travel

Manama: Bahrain's government has asked its ministers and senior officials to limit their overseas travel and reduce the size of accompanying delegations.

"Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has directed that the participation of ministers and senior officials in events abroad should be confined to highly significant occasions," Shaikh Ahmad Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, the cabinet affairs minister, said.

"Overseas-bound delegations should also be reduced to limit expenses and ease pressure on the state budget," the minister said.

The decision, announced after the government held its meeting on Sunday, aims to reduce expenses and allocate the funds for public use. It also seeks to ensure that government officials are always ready to serve the nation and are able to monitor regularly government projects and programmes, the government said.

Shaikh Ahmad, who heads Bahrain's e-drive, last year suggested that videoconferencing should be seriously considered when medium or low level Gulf delegations hold meetings.