After the fact

Earlier this month, the Chhattisgarh government released a list of measures bureaucrats have to follow as part of an austerity drive. It includes a ban on overseas trip. That’s no surprise given the economic slowdown but it’s the timing of the order that has attracted comment. This summer saw at least a dozen state bureaucrats escaping the scorching heat of Chhattisgarh to more salubrious destinations abroad. The austerity order was imposed only after these trips, ensuring – so the talk goes – that there is no one left to violate it.