Bhubaneswar, Dec. 6: Statistics presented in the Assembly shows that ministers of the cash-trapped Naveen Patnaik government are leading by example when it comes to exercising austerity.

Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh's written statement presented in the Assembly shows that the ministers had been exercising restrain on expenditure during their tours in India and abroad.

Take the example of housing and urban development minister Puspendra Singh Deo, who had visited Italy for the 61st World Trade Congress from June 2 to June 12 last year. Singh did not the burden the state exchequer for his Italy trip as the organisers of the conference had picked up the bill. The minister also did not make any extravagant spendings at the cost of the state government during his period of stay in Italy. On his return, Singh Deo had made a claim of Rs 19,188 from the state exchequer, which by any standard can be termed meagre.

Singh Deo's cabinet colleague Ashok Chandra Panda, who is the state tourism and culture minister, had maintained austerity when he had gone to London and New York for a fortnight starting October 31, 2014.

Panda had toured London to attend the World Travel Market from October 31, 2014 to November 8, 2014. For the London leg of the tour he had claimed Rs 1,22,937 from the state government, while for the trip to New York from January 20 to January 27 last year, he had spent only Rs 1,22,428. Modest by all standards, the minister had made a total reimbursement claim of only Rs 2,45,365 from the state government.

Panchayati raj minister Arun Kumar Sahoo's trip to Paris and Germany had cost the state exchequer nearly Rs 3,30,605. During the last two years of Naveen's tenure his ministerial colleagues have claimed Rs 5.95 lakh as reimbursements on their foreign trips.

Though the expenditure on foreign trips remained low, the ministers had spent Rs 61.94 lakh on their tours inside the country during the last two years.

"This government believes in honesty and transparency. It speaks of the integrity of the ministers. No one has submitted any inflated bills," Arukh has said.

Among Naveen's colleagues, commerce and transport minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi made the highest claim against trips. Majhi has spent Rs 10,10, 873 on his tours, followed by Panda's Rs 7 lakh towards tour expenses.

The ministers who claimed less than Rs 2 lakh on tour expenses during the last two years are minister for cooperation Damodar Rout (Rs 1.35 lakh), panchayati raj minister Arun Kumar Sahoo (Rs 1.44 lakh) and former health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak (Rs 1.97 lakh)

While finance and health minister Pradeep Amat claimed only Rs 4.88 lakh, another high profile minister Debi Prasad Mishra, who heads mass education and industries departments, has spent Rs 2.48 lakh in the last two years. Arukh had only claimed Rs 2.38 lakh on his travels in the last two years.