The caretaker government yesterday issued a new order regulating foreign travel by top officials of the ministries, departments, directorates and autonomous bodies.

Under the new rule, all secretaries, Bangladesh Bank governor, secretar-ies-in-charge, members of the Planning Commission, additional secretaries, deputy governors of Bangladesh Bank, divisional commissioners, DIGs (Police), police commissioners, DCs and SPs will be required to take approval of the chief adviser (CA) for going abroad.

In the changed perspective, heads of directorates and officials under pay scale 1 and 2 of the autonomous bodies will also have to take the CA's prior approval for travelling abroad.

Approval of the advisers of the ministries concerned will be required for the officials enjoying pay scale 5 and above of the ministries, departments, directorates and autonomous bodies for foreign trip.

In case of the chief adviser's office, officials having pay scale 6 to 9 need to get prior permission from the principal secretary, and in other cases, they will need approval from their secretaries concerned.

"In all other cases, heads of the directorates and autonomous bodies will be the authority to give permission to officials for foreign trips," says the order.

It says that subject to funding, the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, the chief justice, the chief election commissioner, the chairman of the AntiCorruption Commission, the comptroller and auditor general, PSC chairman, and the tax ombudsman will give permission to officials of their respective departments for foreign tour.

Excepting deputy governors, the Bangladesh Bank governor will give approval to other officials of the central bank for travelling abroad.

The CA's approval will be required for foreign tour by the mayors of city corporations, chairmen of CHT local government, council and Hill Tracts district councils.

The vice-chancellors will have authority to approve foreign trips by university teachers and officials for not more than three months, "if the cost is not linked to government funds or foreign credits".