Prime minister Manmohan Singh took in his hand approval of the ministers' foreign trips to refuse unnecessary visits for austerity, but he did not stop even four percent of them to cheer up the taxpayer paying for these luxurious jaunts.

The number of foreign visits by the ministers rather shot since he tried to control them as there were only 240 trips abroad by the ministers in 2009 when the clearance used to come from the external affairs ministry as against 406 in 2010 and 337 in 2011.

Manmohan Singh approved 96.89 percent of the visits in 2010 and the record is no better at 96.01 percent in 2011. The details were rolled out in reply to a question last week in the Rajya Sabha that was lost in the din and adjournments over the FDI in retail.

He cleared as many as 406 of the 419 requests, including 97 for personal visits, during 2010 and 337 of the 351 received until November this year.

The government may take solace that there were fewer requests for foreign trips but the prime minister's office failing to shoot down frivolous rush abroad defeats the purpose.

Earlier, ministers had to take a clearance from the external affairs ministry to ensure they get services of the diplomatic corp abroad.

The guidelines also require ministers and secretaries of the same department not to go abroad at the same time if parliament is in session. Ministers were also asked to limit the size of their delegation and expenditure on entertainment, hotel accommodation, gifts to be given to their hosts and class of air travel.