Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Government has granted permission for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's official visit to the Gulf region. The approval covers visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

The Chief Minister and his delegation are scheduled to begin the tour on Tuesday and will be visiting these countries on various dates until December 1. Minister Saji Cheriyan and the CM's personal assistant V M Sunish have also received official clearance to accompany him. As of now, approval has not been granted for visiting Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, the state government had received a communication from the Centre denying permission for the Gulf tour. The current approval came following a fresh application submitted by the state. The Chief Minister has now been authorised to visit the Gulf countries in phases.

As per the original itinerary, the Chief Minister was scheduled to reach Bahrain on October 14. After completing engagements there, he planned to travel by road to Saudi Arabia, with events lined up in Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh, before returning to Kochi on October 19. However, since Saudi Arabia has not granted permission yet, the plan may change. If approval does not come in the coming days, the Chief Minister and his team are expected to return to Kerala by October 16.