The irony of the country, where corruption and scams have its ugly roots spread across the breadths of the nation, the union ministers spend just seven percent of their total bills on miscellaneous issues. Pathetic situation our ministers ought to get more to spend, at least on their trips abroad.  The issue came to light in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy detailed the members of the mounting dues the union cabinet had to pay the cash-strapped state-owned Air India for their visits abroad.

As per the written reply to a question by Chandrakant Khaire and Hukumdev Narayan Yadav, the Minister for state responded that the figure of Rs 460.78 Cr "includes pending payments to Air India for previous years amounting to Rs 435 Cr". He further went on to inform that this was 93 per cent of the total bills incurred by them during their visits abroad. He also gave the split up of the accumulated dues since 2009 by the union and state ministers.

He added Ministry-wise expenditure information is being collected and would soon be tabled in the House adding that the Cabinet Secretariat has issued guidelines from time to time regarding foreign visits by Ministers.