Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has sparked a row by splashing Rs 46.65 lakh for a six-day training programme of officers with the GST Department. More than 80 per cent of the amount is being spent on accommodation in luxury hotels.
The programme for 210 officers with the Enforcement Wing of the department began at a private engineering college in Kochi on May 20.
While Rs 38.10 lakh is allocated solely for the accommodation of the officers, Rs 4.15 lakh was spent on booking the training hall, Rs 2 lakh on transportation, and Rs 2.30 lakh for the trainers.
The Finance Department issued a directive in August 2023 restricting government institutions from selecting five-star hotels for training programmes. The directive by Finance Principal Secretary Raveendran Kumar Agarwal stated that government training programmes should be conducted at their facilities or other government establishments if their facilities were inadequate.
