According to an RTI reply, Dikshit, her ministers and MLAs undertook around 57 foreign visits including to the US, the UK, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Germany and Switzerland and an amount of Rs 1.71 crore was spent between 2004 and October 2012.
As many as nine visits were made to foreign countries during 2004 that cost about Rs 18.68 lakh as against 14 such visits in 2005 involving an expenditure of Rs 30.94 lakh and 11 tours in 2006 costing Rs 36.56 lakh.
Eight such tours were undertaken in 2007 for which about Rs 25.74 lakh were spent while five visits during 2008 cost Rs 17.40 lakh, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi said in the reply to RTI activist Vivek Garg.
About Rs 42.33 lakh were spent on 10 foreign tours of Dikshit and her ministers between 2009 and October 2012. The visits were undertaken to attend various conference and international seminars.
According to the reply, A K Walia, as Minister of Health and Family Welfare, had gone to Canada and Japan between September 12-26, 2012 as member of empowered committee of state Finance Minister and a total of Rs 6.96 lakh were spent.
Similarly, Haroon Yusuf, as Minister of Development, went gone to France and the Netherlands between May 16-23, this year to study wholesale fruit or vegetable markets in Rungis and Amsterdam. "Expenditure was borne by Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board," it said.
