Tamil Nadu Allocates Rs 6.85 Crore Annually for VIP, VVIP Protocol Expenses

CHENNAI, Aug 13: The Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs 6.85 crore annually to meet protocol-related expenses arising from visits by VVIPs, VIPs and senior government officials to districts across the state.

The allocation, approved through an order issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department on August 11, will cover expenses linked to boarding, lodging and transportation during official visits. However, visits involving the Chief Minister and state ministers are excluded from the new provision.

The government said there was previously no dedicated budget head for such expenditure. District administrations had been required to manage protocol costs within existing financial limits, resulting in difficulties when actual expenses exceeded the prescribed ceilings.

Under the earlier arrangement, district collectors were permitted to spend Rs 25,000 each on boarding, lodging and transportation, with the combined expenditure capped at Rs 50,000.

Officials noted that these limits had become insufficient due to the growing frequency and scale of visits by constitutional authorities, judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, senior government officials, international delegations and other dignitaries.

The new allocation is expected to reduce delays in settling bills and eliminate the need for district administrations to seek separate approvals whenever expenditure crosses the existing limits.

The decision also comes against the backdrop of complaints from Revenue Department employees, who had reportedly raised concerns about having to meet expenses from their own pockets while organising government programmes and arrangements for ministerial visits.

With a separate annual provision now in place, the state government aims to make protocol arrangements more efficient while ensuring that district administrations have adequate funds to meet official requirements.