CHENNAI: It is that time of the year when a few state Ministers are flying abroad one after another either on official or personal trips for knowledge transfer sessions.
At least a few members of the state Cabinet and even the TN Assembly Speaker have left the country on official business trips in the last couple of months alone. The latest to embark on an overseas journey was state PWD cum Minor Ports Minister EV Velu.
The Minister of ports was in Singapore on Thursday on the invitation of the authorities of the city-state. Velu, accompanied by a small delegation of his department officials, inspected the container terminal in Singapore port.
A couple of months ago, state Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam also went on a week-long trip to Singapore and studied the tropical gardens there to borrow ideas.
Panneerselvam had visited Singapore Botanic Gardens to borrow ideas and develop Semmozhi Poonga in the city on par with Royal Botanical Gardens in London.
Incidentally, Assembly Speaker M Appavu has left for Ghana to attend the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference to be hosted by the Parliament of Ghana in the first week of October.
A couple of days ago, Appavu was in the Egyptian capital Cairo, attending a consultation hosted by Bahaa El-Din Shukka, deputy speaker of the Egyptian senate.
As recently as Wednesday, Sports Minister Udhayanidhi was said to have left for Europet. Not so long ago, state MSME Minister TM Anbarasan, left on an official trip to South Africa.