home travel concession rules

• भारत सरकार GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
• कार्मिक लोक शिकायत और पेंशन मंत्रालय MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
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CENTRAL CIVIL SERVICES

(LEAVE TRAVEL CONCESSION) RULES, 1988)

1 Short title,commencement and application. – 

(1) These rules may be called the Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

(3) Subject to the provisions of sub-rule (4), these rules shall apply to all persons –

(i) who are appointed to civil services and posts including civilian Government servants in the Defence Services in connection with the affairs of the Union;

(ii) who are employed under a State Government and who are on deputation with the Central Government;

(iii) who are appointed on contract basis; and

(iv) who are re-employed after their retirement.

(4) These rules shall not apply to –

(a) Government servants not in whole-time employment;

(b) persons in casual and daily rated employment;

(c) persons paid from contingencies;

(d) Railway servants;

(e) members of the Armed Forces;

(f) local recruits in Indian Missions abroad; and

(g) persons eligible to any other form of travel concession available during leave or otherwise. 

2. Special provisions regarding certain categories of employees –

(1) In the case of persons belonging to categories mentioned in clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv) of sub-rule (3) of Rule 1, the leave travel concessions shall be admissible on completion of one year’s continuous service under the Central Government and provided that it is certified by the appropriate administrative authority that the employee concerned is likely to continue to serve under the Central Government for a period of at least two years in the case of Leave Travel Concession to hometown and at least four years in the case of leave travel concession to any place in India to be reckoned from the date of his joining the post under the Central Government.

(2) In the case of officers appointed on contract basis, where the initial contract is for one year but is later extended, the total duration of the contract will be taken into account for the purpose of leave travel concession. 

(3) In the case of persons re-employed, immediately after retirement without any break, the period of re-employed service will be treated as continuous with the previous service for the purpose of leave travel concession and the concession allowed for the re-employed period, provided that the leave travel concession would have been admissible to the re-employed officer had he not retired but had continued as serving officer.

Illustration: - If an officer has availed of the concession to visit any place in India in respect of a block of four years before his retirement and he is re-employed without any break, he cannot avail this concession till the expiry of the particular block of four years.

3. Scope – The leave travel concession will cover the Government servant himself and his family.

4 Definitions.- In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(a) "a place in India" will cover any place within the territory of India, whether it is on the mainland India or overseas;

(b) "controlling officer" means an officer declared as such under Supplementary Rule 191;

(c) "Disciplinary Authority" shall have the same meaning as assigned in clause (g) of Rule 2 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965;

(d) "Family" means:-

(i) the Government servant’s wife or husband, as the case may be, and two surviving unmarried children or step children wholly dependent on the Government servant, irrespective of whether they are residing with the Government servant or not;

(ii) married daughters who have been divorced, abandoned or separated from their husbands and widowed daughters and are residing with the Government servant and are wholly dependent on the Government servant;

(iii) parents and/or step mother residing with and wholly dependent on the Government servant;

(iv) unmarried minor brothers as well as unmarried, divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters residing with and wholly dependent on the Government servant, provided their parents are either not alive or are themselves wholly dependent on the Government servant.

EXPLANATIONS:

1. The restriction of the concession to only two surviving children or step children shall not be applicable in respect of ( i) those employees who already have more than two children prior to the coming into force of this restriction i.e. 20.10.1997; (ii) children born within one year of the coming into force of this restriction; (iii) where the number of children exceeds two as a result of second child birth resulting in multiple births.

2. Not more than one wife is included in the term "Family" for the purpose of these Rules. However, if a Government servant has two legally wedded wives and the second marriage is with the specific permission of the Government, the second wife shall also be included in the definition of "Family".

3. Though it is not necessary for the spouse and children to reside with the Government servant so as to be eligible for the Leave Travel Concession, the concession in their cases shall, however, be restricted to the actual distance traveled or the distance between the headquarters/place of posting of the Government servant and the hometown/place of visit, whichever is less.

4. Children of divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters are not included in the term "Family".

5. A member of the family whose income from all sources, including pension, temporary increase in pension but excluding dearness relief on pension or stipend etc. does not exceed Rs.1500 p.m. is deemed to be wholly dependent on the Government servant.

(e) "hometown" means the town, village or any other place declared as such by the Government servant and accepted by the controlling officer;

(f) "shortest direct route" shall have the same meaning as given in Supplementary Rule 30 and orders issued thereunder from time to time.

Govt. of India’s Decision

(1) LTC to a newly married husband of a female Government servant.

When a female Govt. servant proceeds to her hometown, availing of the Leave Travel Concession and gets married in the hometown, LTC may be allowed also to be husband of the female Govt. servant, for the journey performed by him from the hometown to the headquarters of the female Govt. servant.

[OM No. 48/2/65-Ests.(A), dated 2.4.1965]

(2) On the recommendations of Task Force, Govt. have decided that the existing LTC Scheme for Central Govt. servants as amended from time to time, shall be modified to the extent indicated below with immediate effect-

(i) Advance on account of LTC may be sanctioned by the Head of the Office instead of by the Controlling Officer.

(ii) Where the shortest route by which the journey is required to be performed is disrupted due to accidents or other causes, the power to grant reimbursement by the actual route traveled may be exercised by the Controlling Authority, instead of by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms in consultation with the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) as at present.

(vi) LTC to visit hometown in a block of two years and to any place in India once in four years will be allowed both ways during leave preparatory to retirement provided the return journey is completed before the expiry of the leave preparatory to retirement.

[ MHA OM No. 31011/1/77-Ests.(A) dated 1.10.1977]

(3) What is the scope of the expression "any place in India"?

The expression "any place in India" will cover any place within the territory of India whether it is on the mainland, or overseas. If there are any local restrictions on visits to places in border areas, it is the responsibility of the Govt. servant undertaking the visit to fulfil the conditions for visit to the places which are subject to local restrictions.

(4) Condition of "residing with" waived in respect of spouse and children.

It has been decided that in cases where the Government servant has left his/her spouse and the dependent children at place other than his/her Headquarters, he may be allowed LTC in respect of them from the place of their residence to hometown in a block of 2 years or any place in India in a block of 4 years, as the case may be, but the reimbursement should in no case exceed the actual distance traveled by the family or the distance between the headquarters/place of posting of Govt. servant and the place visited/hometown, whichever is less. In the case of other members falling within the definition of "family" the existing conditions and restrictions will continue to be in force.

[DOPT OM No. 31011/14/86-Est.(A), dated 8.5.1987]

5. Change of Hometown .- The hometown once declared and accepted by the controlling officer shall be treated as final. In exceptional circumstances, the Head of the Department or if the Government servant himself is the Head of the Department, the Administrative Ministry, may authorise a change in such declaration provided that such a change shall not be made more than once during the service of a Government servant.

Govt. of India Decisions

(1) From time to time enquiries have been received as to how exactly the “home town” should be determined.  The conditions of ownership of property and permanent residence of relatives laid down in para 1 (4) of this Ministry’s Office Memorandum of 11 th October, 1956 are only illustrative and not exhaustive for determining one’s home town.The correct test to determine whether a place declared by a Government servant may be accepted as his hometown or not is to check whether it is the place where the Govt. servant would normally reside but for his absence from such a station for service under Government. The criteria mentioned below may, therefore, be applied to determine whether the Govt. servant’s declaration may be accepted-

(i) Whether the place declared by Government servant is the one which requires his physical presence at intervals for discharging various domestic and social obligations, and if so, whether after his entry into service, the Government servant had been visiting that place frequently.

(ii) Whether the Government servant owns residential property in that place or whether he is a member of a joint family having such property there.

(iii) Whether his near relations are resident in that place.

(iv) Whether, prior to his entry into Government service, the Government servant had been living there for some years.

NOTE.- The criteria, one after the other, need be applied only in cases where the immediately preceding criterion is not satisfied.

Where the Government servant or the family of which he is a member owns a residential or landed property in more than one place, it is left to the Government servant to make a choice giving reasons for the same, provided that the decision of the Controlling Officer whether or not to accept such place as the hometown of the Government servant shall be final.

Where the presence of near relations at a particular place is to be the determining criterion for the acceptance of declaration of ‘hometown’ the presence of near relations should be a more or less permanent nature.

2.      It has been decided,  in view of the comprehensive revised definition of “home town”, to give  further opportunity to declare the home towns afresh within a time limit  (i.e. by the 31 st October, 1958) to all those who might  be affected by the revised definition (e.g. whose earlier declarations were rejected but who would now become eligible to declare particular places as their hometowns, or who might like to have a change affected in the light of the revised criteria).  Such fresh declaration  after approval by the  Controlling Officer will be treated as the “first declaration” and not   as a change of declaration in terms of para 1 (4) of this Ministry’s Office Memorandum No.43/1/56-Estt. Part II, dated the 11 th October, 1956. 

3.      Those Government servants who because of the revised definition now become eligible for the leave travel  concession would, however,  be eligible only for the concessions commencing from the one relating to the 1958-59 block.

(MHA OM No. 43/15/57-Ests. (A) dated 24.6.1958)

6. Declaration of place of visit under Leave Travel Concession to any place in India. - 

When the concession to visit any place in India is proposed to be availed of by a Government servant or any member of the family of such Government servant, the intended place of visit shall be declared by the Government servant in advance to his controlling officer. The declared place of visit may be changed before the commencement of the journey with the approval of his controlling officer but it may not be changed after the commencement of the journey except in exceptional circumstances where it is established that the request for change could not be made before the commencement of the journey owing to circumstances beyond the control of the Govt. servant. This relaxation may be made by the Administrative Ministry/Department or by the Head of the Department, as the case may be.

7 . Admissibility of Leave Travel Concession .- 

(1) The leave travel concession shall be admissible to persons of the categories specified in clauses ( i ) and (iii) of sub-rule (3) of Rule 1 only, if they have completed one year’s continuous service under the Central Government on the date of journey performed by him or his family, as the case may be, to avail of the concession.

(2) The leave travel concession shall be admissible during any period of leave, including casual leave and special casual leave.

Govt. of India Decision

(1) *** In every case the journey should be to the home and back but it need not necessarily commence from or end at the headquarters of the Government servant either in his own case or in the case of the family. But the assistance admissible will be the amount admissible for the actual distance traveled, limited to the amount that would have been admissible had the journey been performed between the headquarters and the ‘home’ of the Government servant.

*** In the case of a Government servant serving in a vacation department, vacation will be treated as regular leave for the purpose of this concession.

The class of railway accommodation to which a Government servant and his family will be entitled is the class to which he is entitled under the normal rules at the time the journeys are undertaken.***

*** The Government servants should inform the Controlling Officer before journeys for which assistance under this scheme will be claimed are undertaken. They should also produce evidence of their having actually performed the journey, for example, serial numbers of railway tickets, etc.

A record of all assistance granted under these orders shall be suitably maintained. In the case of Gazetted Officers, the record shall be maintained by the Accounts Officer concerned. In the case of non-gazetted staff, the record should be in the form of entries in the service book or other appropriate service records and should indicate the date or dates on which the journey or journeys to the "home" commenced. The authority responsible for the maintenance of the service record shall ensure that on every occasion a Government servant proceeds on leave which is entered in that record, the fact whether or not he availed of the travel assistance under these orders is indicated.

[MHA OM No. 43/1/55-Estt.(A) –Part-II dated 11.10.56]

(2.) LTC not admissible on resignation

The concession will not, however, be admissible to a Government servant who proceeds on regular leave and then resigns his post without returning to duty.

(3.) LTC to hometown outside India

A Government servant who declares, subject to the satisfaction of the Controlling Officer, that his hometown is outside India, will also be entitled to the leave travel concession for visiting his hometown. Government’s assistance in such a case will be limited to the share of the fares for journey (i ) up to and from the railway station (by the shortest route) nearest to the hometown or (ii) the railway station for the nearest port of embarkation/disembarkation in India. The term "nearest port" for this purpose means the port in India nearest to the hometown of the Government servant.

*** Family can perform journey separately

Where a Government servant and his family perform journeys separately, there is no objection to his presenting separate claims. In each case, however, the claim should be for both outward and inward journeys.***

[MHA O.M. No. 43/5/57-Ests.(A) dated 4.9.1957]

(4.) An officer who is his own Controlling Officer for purposes of travelling allowance should make the initial or any subsequent declaration of his hometown to his next superior administrative authority for acceptance. This procedure should also be followed in cases where declarations have already been sent direct to the Accounts Officers concerned by officers who are their own Controlling Officers. The Comptroller and Auditor General and Secretaries to Government will, however, communicate the initial declaration of hometowns as well as any subsequent declaration for change therein direct to the Accounts Officers concerned.

[MHA OM No. 43/5/57-Ests.(A) dated 11.2.1958]

(5.) Entitlement of LTC in special cases

Leave travel concession will be admissible to the members of Government servant’s family with reference to the facts existing at the time of forward and return journeys independently. The following types of cases are given by way of illustrations:-

I. Entitled to reimbursement in respect of outward journey only:

(i) A dependent son/daughter getting employment or getting married after going to hometown or remaining there for prosecution of studies.

(ii) The family having performed the journey to hometown have no intention of completing the return journey from hometown, provided the Government servant foregoes in writing the concession in respect of the return journey if performed by the family members at a subsequent date.

II. Entitled to reimbursement in respect of the return journey only:

(i) A newly married wife coming from hometown to headquarters station or a wife who has been living long at hometown and did not avail herself of the leave travel concession in respect of the outward journey.

(ii) A dependent son/daughter returning with parents or coming along from hometown where he/she has been prosecuting studies or living with grandparents, etc.

(iii) A child who was previously below five/twelve years of age but has completed five/twelve years of age only at the time of the return journey.

(iv) A child legally adopted by a Govt. servant while staying in the hometown.

[MHA OM No. 43/10/58-Ests.(A), dated 11.12.1958]

(6.) LTC to industrial & work-charged staff-

Industrial and work-charged staff who are entitled to regular leave will also be eligible to avail of the Leave Travel Concession in the same manner as other Central Govt. employees. The first block in their case would be 1960-61.

*** *** *** ***

[MHA OM No. 6/7/59-Ests.(A), dated 15.6.1960]

(7) LTC in combination with transfer/tour TA-Mode of Regularisation.

Normally, the following types of cases are likely to arise when a Govt. servant combines a journey on LTC with one on transfer or tour:-

(i) Leave Travel Concession in combination with transfer journey-. An officer going to hometown on regular leave proceeds therefrom on transfer to the new headquarters.

(ii) Leave Travel Concession in combination with tour journey.-

(a) An officer proceeding with proper prior permission to hometown on regular leave from a tour station and returns to headquarters direct from hometown; and

(b) an officer proceeding to a tour station from hometown with proper prior permission and returns to headquarters therefrom.

It has been decided that the combined claims in such cases should be regulated as indicated below-

(a) In the cases of the category of para (i) above, the officer may be allowed as his minimum entitlement transfer travelling allowance under SR 124 or SR 126, as the case may be. He may be allowed in addition, Leave Travel Concession under the rules to the extent the distance from old headquarters to hometown and from hometown to the new headquarters exceeds the distance for which transfer-travelling allowance is admissible.

In cases where the distance for which Leave Travel Concession, however, be open to the Govt. servant not to avail of the Leave Travel Concession at all, being permitted to avail of it on some other occasion within the block period, subject to other conditions being fulfilled.

The option has to be exercised in respect of self and the members of the family at the time of preferring claim for transfer travelling allowance.

When Leave Travel Concession is not availed of, the Leave Travel Concession advance, if any, taken by the Govt. servant should be adjusted against his travelling allowance entitlement.

(b) In the case of the category of para (ii) (a) above, travelling allowance as on tour may be allowed for the journey from the headquarters to the tour station from which the Government servant proceeds to hometown and Leave Travel Concession for the journey from tour station to hometown and back to headquarters deeming the tour station as the starting point for the onward journey.

The limitation contained in para 1 (3) of Ministry of Home Affairs, Office Memorandum No. 43/1/55-Ests.(A)-Part II, dated the 11 th October, 1956, will be applicable in computing the amount of Leave Travel Concession admissible.

(c) In the case of the category of para (ii) (b) above, Leave Travel Concession as admissible under the rules may be allowed from headquarters to hometown and travelling allowance as on tour for the journey from hometown to tour station and back to headquarters.

In cases falling under para (ii) the provisions of Ministry of Finance, Office Memorandum No. F. 5 (44)-E.IV/48, dated the 23 rd April, 1948 (given below), will have to be complied with.

Extract of OM dated 23.4.1948, referred to above.

It has come to notice that cases of transfer of charge of an office elsewhere than at headquarters are becoming somewhat more frequent than normally. In the circumstances, it has been decided that to ensure prevention of any possible abuse of the spirit of the rules it will meet the object in view if orders in all such cases are issued by an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary of a Ministry of the Government of India or embody the fact of his approval having been given.

(MHA OM No. F.43/15/59-Ests.(A), dated 19.7.1960)

(8) LTC to India based officers serving in India Missions/Posts abroad

The cases of India based officers and members of staff serving in India Missions/Posts abroad when they come to India on home leave or home leave- cum-transfer will be divided into the following three types for the purpose of LTC:-

(i) Officers coming on home leave and going back to their old posts on the expiry of leave.

(ii)   (a) Officers coming on home leave-cum-transfer to a post in India.

       (b) Officers going on home leave-cum-transfer to a post outside India.

(iii) Officers coming on leave-cum-transfer to a post in another foreign country.

For the first category, the port of disembarkation in India on the approved route will be reckoned as the starting point for the commencement of the leave travel concession to the hometown and the reimbursement allowed at par with that admissible to employees in India.

(a) In regard to the category of officers at (ii) (a) above, the journey will be performed from the port of disembarkation in India to the new Headquarters via the hometown. The officer may be allowed as his minimum entitlement transfer travelling allowance under IFS Rules, 1954, as modified from time to time. He may be allowed, in addition, leave travel concession under the rules to the extent the distance from the port of disembarkation to hometown and from hometown to the new headquarters exceeds the distance from which transfer travelling allowance is admissible ***. (For officers whose hometowns are en route on the journey from the port of disembarkation to the new headquarters, or in case where the distance for which leave travel concession would be admissible as above is negligible it will be preferable to claim transfer travelling allowance only.)

(b) In regard to category of officers at (ii) (b) above, the journey will be performed from the headquarters in India to the port of embarkation in India via the home town. The officer may be allowed as his minimum entitlement transfer Travelling Allowance under IFS Rules, 1954, as modified from time to time. He may be allowed, in addition, leave travel concession under the rules to the extent the distance from headquarters in India to hometown and from hometown to the port of embarkation in India exceeds the distance for which transfer travelling allowance is admissible . (For officers whose hometowns are en- route to the journey from headquarters in India to the port of embarkation, or in cases where the distance for which Leave Travel Concessions would be admissible as above is negligible, it will be preferable to claim transfer travelling allowance only.)

The third category of officials may be allowed as his minimum entitlement transfer TA under IFS Rules, 1954, as modified from time to time. He may be allowed, in addition, Leave Travel Concession under the rules to the extent the distance from the port of disembarkation to hometown and from hometown to the port of embarkation exceeds the distance for which transfer traveling allowance is admissible.*** (For officers whose hometowns are en route of port of disembarkation to the port of embarkation, or in case where the distance, for which Leave Travel Concession would be admissible as above, is negligible, it would be advantageous to claim transfer traveling allowance throughout and no Leave Travel Concession will hence be admissible.)

(MHA Letter No. 43/7/59-Ests.(A), dated 6.7.1959)

(9) LTC to officers of autonomous bodies deputed to Central Government.

The officers of autonomous bodies deputed to Central Govt. will be treated as temporary Government servants during the period of their deputation with the Central Government and allowed Leave Travel Concession accordingly.

(MHA Letter No. 43/6/59-Ests.(A), dated 24.7.1959)

(10) LTC within India to the staff of the Indian Aid Mission in Nepal and other personnel sent to Nepal under India’s Aid Programme.

The point of commencement/end of the forward/return journey in India for the purpose of Leave Travel Concession in respect of the staff will be the nearest Railway Station in India to the place of posting of the staff in Nepal from which they actually commence their onward journeys/complete their return journeys. When the officer is coming to India on home leave-cum-transfer, the journey will be performed from the place of entry in India to the new headquarters via the home town. For the journey from the place of entry to the home town, Leave Travel Concession would be admissible and for the journey from home town to headquarters, transfer TA restricted to what would be admissible had the journey been performed directly from the place of entry in India to the headquarters, will be permitted. (For officers whose home towns are en route on the journey from the place of entry in India to the new headquarters, it would be preferable to claim only transfer TA throughout and no leave travel concession will hence be admissible.)

(MHA Letter No. 43/7/59-Ests.(A), dated 10.9.1959 and

31011/8/78-Ests.(A), dated 14.3.1980)

(11) LTC to officers of All India Services.

They or the members of their families will not be entitled to avail of the concessions for a particular block, if they or the members of their family, had availed of the concessions from the State Govt. for that block before being deputed to service in connection with the affairs of the Union. Similarly, on reversion to the State Govt., they will not be entitled to the concession for a particular block period, if concessions for that block had been availed of, while the officer was serving in connection with the affairs of the Union.

The expenditure incurred on account of Leave Travel Concessions availed of by such officers and/or their families during the period of their deputation with the Centre, shall be borne by the Central Govt. and the expenditure on concessions earned by these officers during the period of their deputation with the Centre but not availed of during that period, will be borne by the State Govt. concerned.

(MHA OM No. 16/1/69-AIS(II), dated 15.7.1969)

(12) Admissibility of LTC to Central Govt. servants deputed to other than top posts in the Public Sector Undertakings, etc.

The deputationists may be given an option either to choose the Leave Travel Concession admissible to the corresponding employees of the Public Sector Undertakings or under the Central Govt. Rules, whichever is more favourable to them. However, a Central Govt. servant deputed to a Public Sector Undertaking would not be entitled to avail of the LTC from the Public Sector Undertaking concerned for self and/or his family for the duration of the block of two years, if he and/or his family, as the case may be, had already availed of the concession under the Central Govt. during the block; and on reversion if the Central Govt. employee and/or his family has availed of LTC under the rules of the Public Sector Undertaking concerned, he would not be entitled to LTC under the Central Govt. for the duration of the block in which he had already availed of this concession. There may also be cases where a Govt. servant exercises an option to avail the LTC under the rules of the Public Sector Undertakings but could not actually avail the concession during the term of service in the Undertakings. In such a case, on reversion to Govt. service, the Govt. servant and his family should be entitled to avail the concession for a particular block only under the Central Govt. Rules.

(DPAR OM No. 43/2/60-Ests.(A), dated 7.7.1971)

(13) Reimbursement of Special Supplementary Charges for travel by Super Fast Express trains.

Doubts have been expressed as to whether the Special Supplementary Charges levied by the Railways for travel by Super Fast Express trains in reserved accommodation could be reimbursed in respect of journeys on Leave Travel Concession. In view of the provisions of Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure), OM No. 19023/2/73-E.IV(B), dated the 6 th August, 1973 (not reproduced), under which the said special supplementary charges could be reimbursed for journeys on transfer, it is hereby clarified that those charges may also be reimbursed in respect of journeys on Leave Travel Concession.***

In cases where the journey for which Leave Travel Concession claim is preferred is performed otherwise than by rail between places connected by rail and the claim is restricted to the amount which would have been admissible had the journey been performed by rail, the amount to be reimbursed shall not include the Special Supplementary Charges.

(DPAR OM No. 43/4/73-Ests.(A), dated 7.6.1974)

(14) LTC to Central Government servants deputed to other than top posts in the Public Sector Undertakings.

Deputationists to posts, other than the top posts, in Public Undertakings may be given an option either to choose the Leave Travel Concessions as admissible to the corresponding employees of the Public Sector Undertakings or as admissible under the Central Government Rules, whichever is more favourable to them. A question has been raised whether fresh option can be allowed in a case where the rules relating to Leave Travel Concession are revised by the Undertaking concerned after the Govt. servant had joined it on deputation and had exercised his option in terms of the aforesaid Office Memorandum of 7.7.1971. It is clarified that a fresh option may be allowed in such cases also.

(DPAR OM No. 43/5/74-Ests.(A), dated 16.1.1976)

( 15) LTC to officials under suspension.

A question has been raised whether LTC is admissible during the period of suspension. It is clarified that a Govt. servant under suspension cannot avail of LTC as he cannot get any leave including casual leave during the period of suspension. As he continues to be in service during the period of suspension, members of his family are entitled to LTC.

(All India Service Manual, Fifth Edition, Part I, page 233)

(16) LTC to Central Govt. employees deputed to top level posts in Public Sector Undertakings.

The undersigned is directed to refer to paragraph 3 (v) of this Department’s OM No. F. 1 (3)-Est.(P-II)/80, dated 27.7.1981 (not reproduced), which inter alia provides that while on deputation to a Public Sector Undertaking a Central Govt. employee will be allowed concessions as admissible to corresponding employees of the Undertaking.

It has now been represented that while under the Central Govt., LTC is available to Govt. employees, in some of the Public Sector Undertakings similar concessions are not available.

When a Central Govt. employee is deputed to a top level post in a Public Sector Undertaking, where LTC is not available, then he will be eligible for the LTC as in the case of other Central Govt. employees provided that provision for its admissibility has been incorporated in the orders placing the employee on foreign service with the Undertaking concerned. In those Public Sector Undertakings where the concession is available the deputationist Govt. employees will be entitled only to those concessions. As regards the Central Govt. employees already on foreign service with Undertakings, where the concession is not available, action may be taken in consultation with the Undertakings concerned to modify suitably the terms and conditions of their deputation so as to make them eligible for the concession. The cost of the concession in all such cases will, however, be met by the Undertaking concerned.

(DOPT OM No. 2 (16)-Est. (P-II)/82, dated 6.3.1984)

(17) LTC to the Central Govt. employees while on `Study Leave’ .

The leave travel concession is admissible to the Central Govt. employees while on study leave. In such cases the claim are to be regulated as under-

(a) For Self:

Government servant can avail LTC from the place of study leave to any place in India/hometown, subject to the condition that the reimbursement of fare should be restricted to the fare admissible for travel between his headquarters station to any place in India/hometown or actual expenditure, whichever is less;

(b) For the Family Members:

(i) When the family members are staying with the Govt. servant at the place of his study leave :

The reimbursement will be as indicated at (a) above;

(ii) When not staying at the place of study leave:

The reimbursement will be as under the normal terms and conditions of the LTC Scheme.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/1/88-Ests.(A), dated 30.3.1988)

(18) LTC when both husband and wife are Government servants and are residing together.

According to the definition of family as given under rule 4, which is applicable, in travel inter alia, for the purpose of admissibility of LTC, the family of a Government servant includes wife or husband, as the case may be, residing with the Government servant and children residing with and wholly dependent upon the Govt. servant. In addition, it includes the parents, sisters and minor brothers, if residing with and wholly dependent upon the Government servant.

According to the existing position where both husband and wife are Govt. servants and are residing together, they constitute one family unit for the purpose of LTC and only one of them can claim this concession and the other spouse travels as a member of his/her family. In such a case, the Govt. servants are required to make a joint declaration of a common hometown, which can be the hometown of either of the spouses or a third place. Therefore, the spouse who avails the LTC as member of family of the other could not claim the benefit separately for his/her own parents or dependent minor brothers and sisters even if they were residing with him/her. On the other hand, where a couple, both being Govt. servants, are residing separately can claim the benefit of LTC individually for their dependent parents, minor brothers and sisters and also declare two separate places as their respective hometowns. Therefore, the husband and wife when both are Govt. employees and are staying together suffer from certain disadvantages inasmuch as they have to declare common hometown and only one of them can claim the benefit of LTC. The matter has been considered in consultation with Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) and it has been decided that where husband and wife both are Govt. servants, they could, at their option, choose to declare separate hometown and both of them may claim the concession separately under the normal provisions of CCS (LTC) Rules in respect of the members of their respective families subject to the condition that if husband or wife avails the facility as a member of the family of the other, he or she will not be entitled for claiming the concession for self independently. Similarly, the children shall be eligible for the benefit in one particular block as members of the family of one of the parents only. All other conditions for admissibility of the LTC shall continue to be applicable as per normal provisions of the scheme.

The above decision will be applicable to the journeys performed for availing the LTC against the block years 1990-91 onwards.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/8/89-Est.(A), dated 8.5.1990)

(19) LTC facility for an escort accompanying single handicapped Government servant.

It has been decided that LTC facility could be allowed for an escort who accompanies a handicapped Govt. servant on the journey subject to the following conditions:-

(i) Prior approval of the Head of the Department concerned is obtained on each occasion.

(ii) The nature of physical disability of the Govt. servant is such as to necessitate an escort for the journey. In case of doubt, the decision of the Head of the Department will be final.

(3) The physically handicapped Govt. servant does not have an adult family member.

(4) The Govt. servant and the escort avail of the concession, if any, in the rail/bus fare as might be extended by Railways/State Roadways authorities in such cases.

(5) Any other person who is entitled to LTC does not accompany the handicapped Govt. servant on the journey.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/4/91-Estt. ( A) dated 9.7.91)

(20) LTC when an officer is deputed for training in India or abroad.

(i) In case the officer is deputed for training, the place of training automatically becomes the headquarters of the Govt. servant and such cases present no difficulty in deciding the admissibility of the LTC to the Govt. servant himself and the members of the family.

(ii) Normally, the headquarters of a Govt. servant deputed for training either in India or abroad continue to be at the place from where he proceeds for training unless under the provisions of SR 59, the competent authority changes his headquarters during the training period for the purpose of traveling allowances on tour. Where the competent authority changes his headquarters under SR 59 the new headquarters will have to be reckoned for the purpose of LTC also. If no change of headquarters is effected in respect of those who are deputed for training in India, the trainees are treated as on tour from their original headquarters and are sanctioned traveling allowance as on tour by the competent authority under SR 164. In such cases, if the Govt. servant proceeds on regular leave from the training station and wants to avail of the LTC, the concession should be allowed in respect of the Govt. servant himself for the journeys from the place of training to the hometown and back to the place of training or the headquarters on the expiry of the regular leave, as the case may be. So far as the members of his family are concerned, the starting point for the onward journey in such case will continue to be the headquarters of the Govt. servant concerned.

(iii) In respect of officers who are deputed abroad for training, the Government’s liability in respect of the Leave Travel Concession in respect of the Govt. servant himself will be limited to the liability the Govt. would have borne, if he had undertaken the journeys from the headquarters (from which he proceeded for training abroad) or the headquarters declared under SR 59 to the hometown and back. So far as members of his family are concerned, headquarters from which he proceeded on training will be treated as the starting point for the onward journey for the purpose of LTC.

(MHA OM No. 43/10/65-Estt. ( A) dated 7.8.65)

8. Types of leave travel concession .- 

(a) The leave travel concession to hometown shall be admissible irrespective of the distance between the headquarters of the Government servant and his hometown, once in a block of two calendar years, such as 1986-87, 1988-89 and so on.

(b) the leave travel concession to any place in India shall be admissible irrespective of the distance of the place of visit from the headquarters of the Government servant, once in a block of four calendar years, such as 1986-89, 1990-93 and so on:

Provided that in the case of a Government servant to whom leave travel concession to hometown is admissible, the leave travel concession to any place in India availed of by him shall be in lieu of, and adjusted against, the leave travel concession to hometown available to him at the time of commencement of the journey;

(c) A Government servant whose family lives away from him at his hometown may, in lieu of all concessions under this scheme, including the leave travel concession to visit any place in India once in a block of four years which would otherwise be admissible to him and members of his family, choose to avail of leave travel concession for self only to visit the hometown every year.

9. Counting of leave travel concession against particular blocks .- 

A Government servant and members of his family availing of leave travel concession may travel in different groups at different times during a block of two of four years, as the case may be. The concession so availed of will be counted against the block of two years or four years within which the outward journey commenced, even if the return journey was performed after the expiry of the block of two years or four years. This will apply to availing of leave travel concession carried forward in terms of Rule 10.

10. Carry over of leave travel concession .- 

A Government servant who is unable to avail of the leave travel concession within a particular block of two years or four years may avail of the same within the first year of the next block of two years or four years. If a Government servant is entitled to leave travel concession to home town, he can carry forward the leave travel concession to any place in India for a block of four years only if he has carried forward the leave travel concession to home town in respect of the second block of two years within the block of four years.

Government of India’s Decision

CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988-Extension of the grace period of Home Town LTC block years 2002-2003.

It has been decided that the Government servants who were eligible for the home town leave travel concession for the block years 2002-2003 or leave travel concession to visit to any place in India for the block years 2002-2005 in lieu of home town block years 2002-2003 and who could not avail it within the grace period up to 31.12.2004, may be allowed to avail this facility up to 30 th June, 2005, in relaxation of the CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988.

11 .Place to be visited by Government servant and members of his family under leave travel concession to any place in India .- 

A Government servant and each member of his family may visit different places of their choice during a block of four years. It shall not be necessary for members of family of a Government servant to visit the same place as that visited by the Government servant himself at any time earlier during the same block.

12. Entitlement.- (1) For travel under the Scheme of Leave Travel Concession the entitlement shall be as under –

(A) Journey by Air/Rail:

*All Govt. servants who are entitled to travel on LTC by First Class/AC 3-tier Sleeper/AC Chair Car may, at their discretion, travel by AC 2-tier Sleeper in cases where any of the trains connecting the originating and destination stations concerned by the direct shortest route do not provide these three classes of accommodation.

Travel by Rajdhani Express Trains:

Travel by Shatabdi Express Trains:

Note.- Entitlement by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Trains would be applicable in cases where journey is actually undertaken by these trains and not for determining entitlement on notional basis. Both ends of the journey, i.e., place of start of the journey and the destination should be directly connected by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express.

(B) Journey by Sea or by River Steamer:

Accommodation entitlements for travel between the mainland and the Andaman & Nicobar Group of Islands and the Lakshadweep Group of Islands by ships operated by the Shipping Corporation of India Limited will be as follows:-

(C) Journey by Road :

NOTE.- In all cases of travel by AC Taxi, Taxi or Autorickshaw production of fare receipt will be necessary.

(2) Journey by road.-

(i) Where a public transport system as aforesaid does not exist, the assistance will be regulated as in case of journeys undertaken on transfer.

(ii) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule ( 1 ) or Clauses ( i ) and (ii ) of sub-rule (2), where a Govt. servant travelling by road takes a seat or seats in a bus, van or other vehicle operated by Tourism Development Corporations in the Public Sector, State Transport Corporations and Transport services run by other Government or local bodies to visit any place in India, the reimbursement shall be either the actual hire charges or the amount reimbursable on the journey to the declared place of visit had the journey been undertaken by entitled class by rail by the shortest direct route, whichever is less. Reimbursement shall not be admissible for journey by a private car (owned, borrowed or hired), or a bus, van or other vehicle owned by private operators.

(3) By Air.- The Govt. servant may travel by air between places not connected by rail, where an alternative means of travel is either not available or is more expensive.

(4) In regard to places in territory of India connected by shipping services, the entitlement of a Govt. servant to travel by ship will be regulated as in the case of journeys by ship undertaken on transfer.

(5) Travel between places not connected by any other means of transport .- For travel between places not connected by any other means of transport, a Govt. servant can avail of animal transport like pony, elephant, camel, etc. In such cases mileage allowance will be admissible at the same rate as for journeys on transfer.

EXPLANATION.- For the purpose of this Rule, "Pay" shall mean pay as defined in FR 9 (21) (a) (I). [Now Basic pay + NPA+SI-vide GID (1) below SR 17 and OM, dated 7.6.1990.]

(1) Facility of LTC by air during winter only to the Govt. servants posted in Ladakh Region.

It has been decided to grant LTC facility by air during winter season to all the Central Govt. employees serving in the Ladakh Region subject to the following conditions:-

(i) The facility of air travel will be admissible only for the period from 15 th November to 15 th March.

(ii) The facility of air travel will be limited to travel between Leh and Srinigar/Jammu/Chandigarh for the forward as well as the return journey. This facility would, however, be admissible between Leh and only one of these three places. The journeys between Srinagar/Jammu/Chandigarh and  the hometown or any other place of visit, as the case may be, will be regulated by the normal entitlement of the Govt. servant concerned.

(iii) The air travel facility will be allowed to the Govt. servant, his-her spouse and only two dependent children (up to 18 years for boys and 24 years for girls).

(DOPT OM. No. 31011/15/87-Ests.(A), dated 22.4.1988 and

31011/18/90-Estt.(A), dated 19.3.1991)

(2) LTC travel by air between New Delhi and Srinagar

In relaxation of Rule 12 (1) of the CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988, the Government have now decided to permit all Group A and B Government servants to travel on LTC by Air Economy (Y) class in national carrier between New Delhi and Srinagar for a period of two years and allow air fare reimbursement accordingly. These orders shall apply to Government servants who intend to visit Srinagar, by availing All India LTC, provided New Delhi is the originating station or is en-route to Srinagar.

These orders shall take effect from the date of issue.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/2/2003-Estt. (A) dated 16.6.2004)

(3) LTC to Central Government Employees-Travel by State Tourism Development Corporation buses-Clarification-regarding.

The Staff Side has raised a demand in the National Council (JCM) that the tours conducted by the ITDC/State Tourism Development Corporations either in their own buses or buses hired or chartered by them may be made admissible for availing the facility of Leave Travel Concession. The matter has been reconsidered and it has been decided that tours conducted by ITDC/State Tourism Development Corporations either in their own buses or buses hired or chartered by them from outside will qualify for the purpose of availing LTC facilities provided the ITDC/State Tourism Development Corporations certify that the journey has actually been performed by the Government servant and his family members for which he is claiming the LTC.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/6/2002-Estt. (A) dated. 30 th July, 2002)

(4) Govt. servants entitled to travel by First Class by rail may Travel by AC-III Tier.

The Govt. servants, who are entitled to travel by First Class by rail, while on duty or on LTC, may, at their discretion, travel by AC-III Tier by trains including Rajdhani Express Trains.

[M.F. OM No. F.19023/1/94-E.IV, dated 10.5.1995]

(5) Certain clarifications have been sought by various Ministries/Departments from time to time. The doubts raised by various authorities are clarified as under:-

Points raised Clarifications

(DOPT OM No. 31011/8/98-Estt. (A ) dated 31.3.99)

Related Circular :

OM F.No. 7(1)/E.Coord./2008 Dated - 10/11/2008 Subject : Expenditure Management - Economy Measures and Rationalization of Expenditure - Guidelines related to LTC

13. Reimbursement.- 

Reimbursement under the leave travel concession scheme shall not cover incidental expenses and expenditure incurred on local journeys. Reimbursement for expenses of journey shall be allowed only on the basis of a point to point journey on a through ticket over the shortest direct route.

LTC when journey performed by longer route

(1) When a Government servant or any member of his family performs the journey by a longer route (which is not the cheapest) in two different classes of railway accommodation, the entitled class rate will be admissible for the corresponding proportion of the shortest or the cheapest route and the lower class rate for the remaining mileage by such route.

Example.- If the total distance by the longer route is 1,100 miles and that by the shortest route is 1,000 miles and if the Government servant concerned has travelled the initial 800 miles by II Class and the remaining 300 miles by I Class, Government’s share of reimbursement of the expenditure incurred in this case should be as follows:-

(i) Mileage for which II Class fare will be admissible-

Distance actually travelled by II Class X Total distance by the shortest route Total distance by the longer route

=  800   X1,000 =727 miles (roundly)    1,100

ii) Mileage for which II Class fare will be admissible-

Distance actually travelled by I Class X Total distance by the shortest route Total distance by the longer route 

=  300  X1,000 =273 miles (roundly)    1,100

(MHA OM No. 43/10/58-Ests.(A) dated 11.4.1958 and 29.5.1958 and F. 31011/9/78-Est.(A), dated 24.7..1980]

(2) Regulation of claims on Circular Tour Ticket.

It has been decided that in a case where a Govt. servant and/or his family avail(s) of the concessional circular tour ticket offered by the Railways in conjunction with the LTC, the fare at the normal rate for the entitled/lower class actually used between headquarters and hometown by the shortest route*** of the to and fro journey should be reimbursed to the Govt. servant.

(DPAR OM No. 35014/4/76-Ests.(A), dated 16.12.1976)

(3) Admissibility of reservation/sleeper charges

A Govt. servant and also members of his family are eligible for the reimbursement of sleeper/reservation charges while performing a journey by availing of the Leave Travel Concession, in Second Class and for reservation charges while performing the journey in First Class (Separate fare is not charged for sleeper accommodation where the journey is performed in First Class).

(DPAR OM No.31011/6/78-Ests.(A), dated 9.10.1978)

(4) Admissibility of claims where the journey commences/terminates at the place of residence of the Govt. servant and not the place of duty.

Situations do arise when the Govt. servant is forced to reside with his family at a place away from his headquarters for his own reasons generally under the following circumstances:-

(i) The Govt. servant on his transfer from one station to another continues to reside with his family at the old station even after joining duty at the new station.

(ii) Due to non-availability of suitable accommodation at reasonable rent in a metropolitan city or a costly place, where he has to work, he prefers to live with his family away from his place of duty and commutes daily from his residence to perform his duties.

The question has arisen whether in cases referred to above, the LTC should be allowed only from the duty station or from the place of residence of the Govt. servant and his family. This has been considered in consultation with the Ministry of Finance and it has been decided that where the Govt. servant and family live away from the place of duty for any reason, LTC may be allowed from the place of residence to the place of visit/hometown and back to the place of residence, subject to the condition that the claim is restricted to the rail fare by the shortest direct route between the duty station and the hometown or declared place of visit, as the case may be. In such cases, the Govt. servant should furnish the reasons for residing at a place other than place of duty and the controlling authority should also satisfy itself regarding the genuineness of those reasons before admitting the claim with reference to the place of residence.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/16/84-Est.(A), dated 11.6.1985)

(5) Regulation of LTC claim when the journey is performed by Air.

The reimbursement of fare in cases where a Govt. servant performs journeys on LTC by air between places connected by rail, may be restricted to the fare of the entitled class by rail other than Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express.

These provisions are, however, not applicable in respect of journeys undertaken by private airlines.

(DOPT OM No.31011/1/95-Estt (A) dt. 28-4-1995)

14. Forfeiture of claim.- 

A claim for reimbursement of expenditure incurred on journey under leave travel concession shall be submitted within three months after the completion of the return journey, if no advance had been drawn. Failure to do so will entail forfeiture of the claim and no relaxation shall be permissible in this regard.

15. Grant of advance and adjustment thereof.-

( i) Advance may be granted to Government servants to enable them to avail themselves of the concession. The amount of such advance in each case shall be limited to four-fifths of the estimated amount, which Government would have to reimburse in respect of the cost of the journey both ways.

(ii) If the family travels separately from the Government servant, the advance may also be drawn separately to the extent admissible.

(iii) The advance may be drawn both for the forward and return journeys at the time of commencement of the forward journey, provided the period of leave taken by the Government servant or the period of anticipated absence of the members of the family does not exceed three months or ninety days. If this limit is exceeded, then the advance may be drawn for the outward journey only.

(iv) If the limit of 3 months or ninety days is exceeded after the advance had already been drawn for both the journeys, one half of the advance should be refunded to the Government forthwith.

(v) The advance should be refunded in full if the outward journey is not commenced within 30 days of the grant of advance. However, in cases where reservations can be made sixty days before the proposed date of the outward journey and advance is granted accordingly, the Government servant should produce the tickets within ten days of the drawal of advance, irrespective of the date of commencement of the journey.

(vi) Where an advance has been drawn by a Government servant, the claim for reimbursement of the expenditure incurred on the journey shall be submitted within one month of the completion of the return journey. On a Government servant’s failure to do so, he shall be required to refund the entire amount of advance forthwith in one lump sum. No request for recovery of the advance in instalments shall be entertained.

(1) Advance to an officer on deputation.

The following procedure may be followed for grant of advance for Leave Travel Concession to an officer on deputation who, immediately on reversion to his parent office, wishes to proceed on leave and to join the parent office on the expiry of such leave:-

(a) In the leave application of the reverting officer, the fact that he would be availing of the Leave Travel Concession during the period of leave would have been mentioned by him. The borrowing department may, while forwarding the leave application to the lending department for sanction, inform the latter department that in the event of leave being sanctioned, they would sanction advance to the extent admissible under, and subject to the conditions laid down in, this Ministry’s Office Memorandum No. 43/3/57-Ests.(A), dated the 1 st April, 1958. On receipt of intimation regarding sanction to leave, the controlling officer for T.A. purposes in the borrowing department, in respect of the officer availing of the Leave Travel Concession may sanction the advance and endorse a copy of the lending department, which will keep a watch on the adjustment of Leave Travel Concession advance.

(b) The procedure in (a) above may be made applicable in the event of the reverting officer applying for leave and intending to avail of, during the leave, the Leave Travel Concession himself or with any or all members of his family. If during the period of leave in question, any or all members of his family alone intend to avail of the concession and not the Government servant himself, even then the procedure at (a) above may also be made applicable.

(c) The Leave Travel Concession advance granted by the borrowing department will be adjusted against the account of the department/office which is ultimately liable to bear the expenditure on account of the LTC availed of by the Government servant concerned and/or his family.

(MHA OM No. 43/9/64-Ests.(A), dated 7.12.1965)

(2) Relaxation of normal time-limit of six months between commencement and completion of the journey by the family of a Govt. servant.

It has been recommended by the Department of Administrative Reforms that the powers for relaxation of time-limit fixed for the return journey under this Ministry’s Office Memorandum, dated the 11 th April, 1958, may be delegated to Heads of Departments. The Ministry of Home Affairs have accepted this recommendation. It has accordingly been decided that the aforesaid power of relaxation of time-limit for the return journey of families of Govt. servants shall be exercised by Heads of Departments, subject to the conditions mentioned in the Office Memoranda under reference.

(MHA OM No. 43/3/68-Est.(A), dated 19.7.1968)

(3) Advance should be recovered in full and not in installments.

A Govt. servant who is granted advance to enable him/her and/or members of his/her family to avail himself/herself of the LTC should refund it, in full, immediately, if the outward journey is not commenced within thirty days of the drawl of advance. Subsequently, since the Railways had raised the time-limit for reservation of seats/berths by six months (now sixty days) before the date of the journey, it was decided vide Department of Personnel & Training OM No. 31011/4/78 Est.(A), dated 1 st September, 1978, that a Govt. servant can draw advance in respect of the journey proposed to be performed under the LTC Scheme by himself/herself and/or by the members of his/her family, sixty days before the proposed date of the outward journey. In such cases, it was further decided that the Govt. servant should produce railway tickets within ten days of the drawl of advance to the competent authority to show that he/she has actually utilised the amount to purchase the tickets.

It has, however, been noticed that, due to administrative lapse in certain cases, the LTC advances which were not utilised to purchase the tickets in time remained unrecovered for many months. This Department takes a serious view of the matter. It is once again stressed that the above provision should be strictly observed. Ministry of Finance, etc., are requested to ensure that if the ticket is not purchased within the stipulated time, or the ticket having been purchased, the journey is not performed for one reason or the other, the full amount of the advance is recovered immediately, and no request for deduction of advance in convenient monthly instalments is entertained.

(DOPT OM No. 31011/11/85-Est.(A), dated 21.3.1986)

(4) Advance may be granted up to 90% of the estimated Fare.

The President has been pleased to decide that employees of the Lakshadweep and A&N Administrations may be sanctioned an advance of 90% of the estimated ship fare from Island to Mainland and back for availing Annual Free Sea Passage. It has also been decided to increase the amount of advance for availing LTC from 80% to 90% of estimated fare in respect of the Central Govt. employees.

( M.F. OM No. F. 17 (4)-E.II (A)/85, dated 8.9.1986)

OM No. 14028/7/97-Estt(L) Dated - 07/10/1997 Subject : Recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission - Decisions relating to enhancement of the ceiling on accumulation and encashment of Earned Leave in respect of Central Government Employees.

16.Fraudulent claim of leave travel concession.-

( 1 ) If a decision is taken by the Disciplinary Authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings against a Government servant on the charge of preferring a fraudulent claim of leave travel concession, such Government servant shall not be allowed the leave travel concession till the finalisation of such disciplinary proceedings.

(2) If the disciplinary proceedings result in imposition of any of the penalties specified in Rule 11 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, the Government servant shall not be allowed the next two sets of the leave travel concession in addition to the sets already withheld during the pendency of the disciplinary proceedings. For reasons to be recorded in writing, the controlling authority can also disallow more than two sets of leave travel concession.

(3) If the Government servant is fully exonerated of the charge of fraudulent claim of leave travel concession, he shall be allowed to avail of the concession withheld earlier as additional set (s) in future block years but before the normal date of his superannuation.

EXPLANATION.- For the purpose of this rule, leave travel concession to hometown and leave travel concession to any place in India as specified in clauses (a) and (b) of Rule 8 shall constitute two sets of the leave travel concession.

17. Interpretation .- 

If there is any doubt regarding any of the provisions in these rules, the matter shall be referred to the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, who shall decide the same.

18. Power to relax.- 

Save as otherwise provided in these rules, where any Ministry or Department of the Government is satisfied that the operation of any of these rules causes undue hardship in any particular case, that Ministry or Department, as the case may be, may, by order, for reasons to be recorded in writing, dispense with or relax the requirements of that rule to such extent and subject to such exception and conditions as it may consider necessary for dealing with the case in a just and equitable manner:

Provided that no such order shall be made except with the concurrence of the Department of Personnel and Training.

19. Saving .- 

All the existing instructions which are not contrary to any of the provisions of these rules and all instructions which cover matters not specifically covered by these rules, shall continue to be in force until they are amended, modified or cancelled.

Application Form for grant of LTC advance

1. Name of the Government servant

2. Designation

3. Date of entering the Central Government Service   

4. Present pay +NPA+SI\

5. Whether permanent or temporary

6. Home town as recorded in the Service Book

7. Whether wife/husband is employed and if so whether entitled to LTC

8. Whether the concession is to be availed for visiting Home Town, and if so block for which LTC is to be availed

9. (a) If the concession is to visit "anywhere in India", the place to be visited.

    (b) Block for which to be availed

10. Single rail fare/bus fare from the headquarters to home town/place of visit by shortest route

11. Persons in respect of whom LTC is proposed to be availed:

12. Amount of advance required …. ….. Rs.

I declare that the particulars furnished above are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I undertake to produce the tickets for the outward journey within ten days of receipt of the advance.

In the event of cancellation of the journey or if I fail to produce the tickets within ten days of receipt of advance, I undertake to refund the entire advance in one lumpsum.

Date Signature

(For use in Office)

1. Particulars in Cols. 1 to 6 verified

2. Amount entitled for reimbursement

3. Advance admissible (90% of amount in 2)

Advance of Rs……………may be sanctioned.

D.A. J.A.O./S.O.

Form T.R.25 CENTRAL

Sub-Bill Sub-Bill No………………….

LEAVE TRAVEL CONCESSION BILL

For the Block of years……………to ………………….

[ NOTE.- This bill should be prepared in duplicate-one for payment and the other as office copy.]

(To be filled in by the Government servant)

1. Name…………………………………….. 2. Designation………………….

3. Pay………………………………          4. Headquarters………………..

5. Nature and period of leave sanctioned:

Nature of leave from ………………From ………….To………………………

6. Particulars of members of family in respect of whom the Leave Travel Concession has been claimed:

7. Details of journey (s) performed by Government servant and the members of his/her family.

8. Amount of advance, if any, drawn … … … … …. Rs……………

9. Particulars of journey (s) for which higher class of accommodation than the one to which the Government servant is entitled, was used (Sanction No. and date to be given):

10. Particulars of journey(s) performed by road between places connected by rail:

CERTIFIED THAT-

1. The information as given above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief;

2. That my husband/wife is not employed in Government service/that my husband/wife is employed in Government service and the concession has not been availed of by him/her separately for himself/herself or for any of the family members for the concerned block of years……………to……………………….

3. That my husband/wife for whom LTC is claimed by me is employed in………..(name of the Public Sector Undertaking/Corporation/Autonomous Body. Etc.), which provides Leave Travel Concession facilities but he/she has not preferred and will not prefer, any claim in this behalf to his/her employer; and

4. That my husband/wife for whom LTC is claimed by me is not employed in any Public Sector Undertaking/Corporation/Autonomous Body. Financed wholly or partly by the Central Government or a Local Body, which provides Leave Travel Concession facilities to its employees and their families.

Date……….. Signature of Government servant

(To be filled in by the Bill Section)

1. The net entitlement on account of leave travel concession works out to Rs……………………….

(Rupees………………………………………………………………………………)

as detailed below-

(a) Railway/Air/Bus/Steamer fare …. … …. …Rs. P.

(b) Less amount of advance drawn vide Vr. No………, dated………..

2. The expenditure is debitable to…………………………………………….

Bill Clerk Drawing and Disbursing Officer

(Initial) (Signature)

Countersigned

Controlling Officer

(Signature)

Certified that necessary entries have been made in the Service Book of

Shri/Smt./Kum……………………………………………………..

(Signature of the Officer authorized

to attest entries in the Service Book)

REGISTER OF LTC CLAIMS

NOTES.- 

1. Entries for advance bill should be made in red ink.

2. In case of final claim where no advance has been drawn, columns (1) to (7) only need to be filled up

3. In case of adjustment bills, columns (9) to (12) against the S. No. of the advance bill should be filled up while passing the net claim.

4. If net amount of the adjustment bill is for a minus amount, particulars of recovery of the balance should be indicated in column (12).

(1) The two certificates one from the Controlling Officer and the other from the Govt. servant concerned should be submitted to the audit authorities along with the T.A. bills for travel concession.

CERTIFICATES TO BE GIVEN BY THE CONTROLLING OFFICER

Certified –

(i) that Shri/Shrimati/Kumari (name of the Government servant) ……………… has rendered continuous service for one year or more on the date of commencing the outward journey.

* (ii) that necessary entries as required under para 3 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, OM No. 43/1/55-Ests.(A)-Part II, dated the 11 th October, 1956, have been made in the Service Book of Shri/Shrimati/Kumari.……………………

(Signature and designation of the Controlling Officer)

CERTIFICATES TO BE GIVEN BY THE

GOVERNMENT SERVANT

1. I have not submitted any other claim so far for Leave Travel Concession in respect of myself or my family members in respect of the block of two years 19…… and 19…………

2. I have already drawn TA for the Leave Travel Concession in respect of a journey performed by me/my wife with ……………..children. This claim is in respect of the journey performed by my wife/myself with ……………… children none of whom travelled with the party on the earlier occasion.

3. The journey has been performed by me/my wife with children to the declared `hometown’, viz……………………

4. That my husband/wife is not employed in Government service

That my husband/wife is employed in Government service and the concession has not been availed of by him/her separately for himself/herself or any of the family members for the concerned block of two years.

Signature of the Government servant

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LTC - CCS (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988

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Leave Travel Concession Rules: 7th CPC LTC Rules for Govt Employees

Leave Travel Concession Rules : Leave Travel Concession is such a travel facility available to government employees, under which reimbursement of expenses incurred in traveling to their hometown or any part of the country is done by them.

LTC full form – Leave Travel Concession

The central government provides various allowances to its employees for financial compensation and Leave Travel Concession is one of those important allowances. It allows them to travel with their family to their hometown or any other destination within India, at the expense of the government.

Some of these allowances are part of the salary of the employees such as Dearness Allowance, Home Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance etc.

On the other hand, some allowances are reimbursed to the government employees after submitting claims by them. Like- Traveling Allowance , DA (Daily Allowance) etc.

One of these allowances is Leave Travel Concession, which is not a part of salary and for which the government employee has to claim for reimbursement and as per the the Leave Travel Concession Rules (LTC rules) the eligible claimed amount is reimbursed to government employee.

The Leave Travel Concession Rules can be complex and confusing, making it important for government employees to have a clear understanding of them.

In this blog, we are going to explain important Leave Travel Concession Rules for Government Employees, including eligibility, entitlements, and conditions for availing this benefit.

So let’s know what are the Leave Travel Concession Rules for Government Employees ?

Table of Contents

7th Pay Commission Leave Travel Concession Rules for Government Employees?

Before discussing the key aspects of Leave Travel Concession Rules, let’s first define what Leave Travel Concession is.

What is Leave Travel Concession?

We can define it in such a way that the facility or concession provided by government to its employees for any journey performed by them during leave or holiday, is called Leave Travel Concession.

It is clear that in order to avail this facility, the Government servant has to apply for leave. When the leave of that employee is approved by the competent authority then he can start the journey.

To avail the facility of Leave Travel Concession, the employee must keep two things in mind during the journey.

First, if that employee travels to Hometown, then he will have to provide proof of travel from his Headquarters to Hometown. Similarly, if he travels with his family to any part of the country, he will have to provide proof of travel to that destination.

If only the family of the employee performs the journey, then he cannot claim for reimbursement of LTC.

The second important thing is that LTC can be claimed only for reimbursement of expenses incurred on travel by rail, road, air, etc. during the journey. Other expenses like hotel, food, sightseeing, taxi and auto fares and other such expenses cannot be claimed for reimbursement.

Types of Leave Travel Concession

As per LTC rules for central government employees, there are two types of Leave Travel Concession facilities available to an employee.

One is Hometown LTC and second is All India LTC

Home Town LTC Rules

The Home Town LTC rules allow central government employees to travel to their home town ( himself or with his family.

All government employees can avail this twice in every block of four years and can travel with family to their hometown.

Here Hometown means the record of which has been officially entered in the service book of the said employee and got it verified by the competent authority.

While making a claim for Leave Travel Concession, the information given by the employee has to be certified by a superior officer from the Service Book of that employee.

All India LTC Rules

All India LTC Rules allow government employees to travel himself or with his entire family to any part of the country and can avail the facility of All India LTC.

All India LTC facility is provided to a central government employee once in four years block.

New employee recruited in central government jobs is allowed to travel to his hometown himself or with his family for three years in a block of four years and All India LTC for the fourth year.

The facility of Hometown LTC and All India LTC will be available to these newly recruited central government employees only for the first two blocks of four years applicable after joining the job for the first time.

LTC Block Year

The LTC block year that have been made by the Government of India for its employees to claim the Leave Travel Concession. A block year consists of four years. The current block is 2018-19 (extended upto 31.2.2022)

For every four-years block year, a one year grace period is given by government to its employees.

For example, if an employee did not avail LTC for the block year 2018-21 then he will get one year grace period i.e. for 2022.

Conditions for availing Leave Travel Concession

To avail the facility of Leave Travel Concession, it is necessary to fulfill the following conditions by the Central Government employees-

• Travel during leave must be within India only. That is, a Government servant can claim Leave Travel Concession only for travel within India and not for travel outside India.
• To avail the facility of Leave Travel Concession, it is necessary that at least one year of service of the concerned employee has been completed without any service break.
• The concerned employee is entitled to avail the facility of Leave Travel Concession exemption for his family members as well as dependents. Here family means spouse and children and other dependent members. Dependent members can be parents and siblings also. Dependent members will be considered only those whose monthly income does not exceed Rs.9,000. Here income means pension received by parents or scholarship, stipend etc. for brothers/sisters. The employee’s dependents may include two unmarried children or adopted children wholly dependent on him. Also, dependent siblings can be unmarried minor brothers or unmarried/ divorced/widow sisters who are wholly dependent on the employee concerned. The two children for whom the employee wants to claim exemption must have been born on or after October 1, 1998. Leave Travel Concession cannot be claimed for more than two children born after this date. The employee can claim the Leave Travel Concession exemption for all children born before October 1, 1998.
• If both husband and wife are in government job then only one of them can claim LTC for them or for their family in his/her respective office. There is no need to claim both separately. Also, the employee who claims LTC exemption, it is mandatory to give a certificate along with claim in his office that his/her wife/husband is not claiming for LTC for same journey performed by them, in his/her office.
• To claim the LTC exemption, the employee has to provide proof of travel to his destination (Hometown or any part of the country). For this a ticket or boarding pass is sufficient for the journeys performed by the employee himself or with his family. When traveling with family, all family members are required to have tickets or boarding passes.
• It is clear that if an employee claims LTC exemption, then it is mandatory for him to travel to the destination. The claim will not be valid even if only his family members complete the journey.

Air ticket booking under LTC

If a Government servant is eligible for air travel, he can travel by Air India only to claim LTC exemption. If Air India service is not available on that route then only he can use other private air service.

But government employees who are not eligible for air travel can use any air service. But they will get rail or bus fare as per their eligibility in LTC reimbursement.

As far as air ticket booking is concerned, all government employees will have to book tickets from the airline concerned to avail the facility of LTC. For this, government employees can use the ticket counter or website of the airline.

If they are buying tickets from a booking agent, then only through government authorized agents like M/s Balmer Lawrie & Company, M/s Ashok Travels & Tours and IRCTC.

You can see OM related to purchase of Air ticket from authorized agents-

Claiming LTC in case of change of job

LTC exemption facility will be available to a government employee even if he changes his job.

If this change happens within a block of four years and there is an unclaimed LTC, it can be claimed in the new government office.

But, if LTC has been availed from the old government office, then no fresh LTC exemption will be allowed by the new government office.

LTC for Multi-Destinations

It is not necessary that during LTC journey, a Government servant will travel only up to the specified destination. The same will be applicable even if he claims LTC exemption after traveling to multiple cities.

In such a case LTC exemption will be available to the employee based on the distance traveled by him from the place of posting to the farthest destination.

But he will get LTC reimbursement for the shortest route to that farthest destination from his place of posting. So, it is not necessary that he will be reimbursed the fare for the same route he has traveled.

The same conditions will be applicable for Hometown LTC as well and that employee will be provided the fare for the shortest route between his/her place of posting to his/her Hometown.

Unclaimed Leave Travel Concession for a block year

If an employee is unable to claim one of the Leave Travel Concession exemptions available in the four-year block, then this LTC exemption facility is carried over to the next block year.

This way the unclaimed LTC in a block year can be claimed in the next block year. Provided that the employee shall travel within the first calendar year of the next block.

Even after this, if the unclaimed LTC is not claimed within the first calendar year of the next block, it will lapse and no subsequent claim will be allowed.

For example, if an employee undertakes one journey in the current block year 2018-21 and also claims Leave Travel Concession exemption in lieu thereof.

But if he is not able to claim the second LTC exemption in the block year 2018-21 due to some reason, then in such a situation he can claim it within the year 2022 in the next block year i.e. 2022-25.

If he does not claim in 2022 also then his LTC eligibility for the block year 2018-21 will come to an end.

This facility (carry over of LTC) is not available for the newly recruited government employees as they get the facility of LTC every year for the first 8 years.

Declaration of place of travel under All India LTC

When a Government servant or any member of his family visits any place of India under All India LTC, then that Government servant has to inform his Controlling Officer in advance of the place to be traveled.

If the said employee wants to change the declared place of journey then he can change with the approval of his Controlling Officer before the commencement of the journey.

But in case of some exceptions where the Controlling Officer feels that the changing of declared place by the Government servant was under some special circumstances and it was not in his hands, then place to be traveled may be changed even after the journey.

This relaxation can be given by the administrative Ministry/Department or Head of Department according to the situation.

Travel to different places by a Govt. employee and his family members

A Government servant and each member of his family can visit various places in the country under All India LTC during a four-year block.

It will not be necessary for the family members of the Government servant to travel to the same place to which the said Government servant has already traveled during the same four-year block.

Time Limit for submission of LTC claim

If a government employee has taken any kind of advance for traveling under LTC, then he will have to claim for LTC reimbursement within one month from the day of completion of the journey.

If the said employee has not taken any kind of advance, then he can claim LTC reimbursement within three months from the day of completion of the journey.

Booking of tickets on taking LTC advance

A Government servant can apply for Advance for booking tickets under LTC for himself and/or his family members sixty-five days before the proposed date of travel.

But within ten days from the day on which the sanctioned amount of advance is credited to his account, the said Government servant will have to produce the ticket, irrespective of the date of commencement of the journey.

If you found the above information informative, then please do not forget to share.

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Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) - Exemption Limit, Rules, How to Claim, Eligibility & Latest Updates

Updated on : Mar 22nd, 2024

The Income-tax Act, 1961 offers salaried individuals several tax exemptions, beyond deductions like LIC premiums and housing loan interest. While deductions reduce your total taxable income, exemptions exclude specific types of income from being taxed altogether. This allows employers to design an employee's Cost to Company (CTC) package in a tax-efficient manner.

One such exemption available to the salaried class under the law and widely used by employers is Leave Travel Allowance (LTA)/Leave Travel Concession (LTC). LTA exemption is also available for LTA received from former employer w.r.t travel after the retirement of service or termination of service. LTA can be claimed for any two years in a block of 4 years . The current block year for claiming LTA is 2022 to 2025.

Note: The tax exemption of leave travel allowance is not available in case you choose the new tax regime .

What is Leave Travel Allowance (LTA)?

Leave Travel Allowance/Leave Travel Concession is a type of allowance given by an employer to their employee for travelling to any place in India: either on leave, after retirement or after the termination of his service. Though it sounds simple, many factors need to be kept in mind before you plan to claim an LTA exemption. Income tax provision has laid down rules for claiming exemption of LTA which are provided below.

Note: The red arrow shows the lower of the two amounts will be exempted. For instance, if you travel by air, the exemption amount will be either your actual travel costs or the cost of an economy class ticket, whichever is lower. The journey should be taken through the shortest route to the destination. 

Who Can Claim LTA?

Only individuals can claim LTA for travel costs incurred for themselves and their family (Spouse, children, wholly or mainly dependent siblings, parents)

Conditions for Claiming LTA

Let us understand the conditions/requirements for claiming the exemption:

• Individual  must be an employee  and should  have an LTA  component in CTC.
• Actual journey is a must to claim the exemption
• Only domestic travel is considered for exemption, i.e., travel within India. No international travel is covered under LTA/LTC
• The exemption for travel is available for the employee alone or with his family, where ‘family’ includes the employee’s spouse, children and wholly or mainly dependent parents, brothers, and sisters of the employee. 
• Further, such an exemption is not available for more than two children of an employee born after 1 October 1998. Children born before 1 October 1998 do not have any restrictions. Further, in cases of multiple births on a second occasion after having one child is also not affected by this restriction.

Amount of LTA/LTC Exemption

The exemption is available only on the actual travel costs i.e., the air, rail or bus fare incurred by the employee. No expenses such as local conveyance, sightseeing, hotel accommodation, food, etc., are eligible for this exemption. The exemption is also limited to LTA provided by the employer.

For example, if LTA granted by the employer is Rs 30,000, and the actual travel cost incurred by the employee is Rs 20,000, then only Rs 20,000 will be available as an exemption and the balance of Rs 10,000 would be included in taxable salary income.

Exemption w.r.t Various Modes of Transport

Can lta exemption be claimed on every vacation.

No, an LTA exemption is available for only  two journeys performed in a block of four calendar years .

A block year is different from a financial year and is decided by the Government for LTA exemption purposes. It comprises 4 years each. The very first 4-year block commenced in 1986. The list of block years is 1986-1989, 1990-93, 1994-97, 1998-2001, 2002-05, 2006-09, 2010-13 and so on. The block applicable for the current period is  2022-25. The previous block was the calendar year 2018-21.

Carryover of Unclaimed LTA/LTC

In case an employee has not availed exemption with respect to one or two journeys in any of the block of 4 years, he is allowed to carryover such exemption to the next block provided he avails this benefit, in the first calendar year of the immediately succeeding block. 

Consider the below example for a better understanding:

• Where carry over exemption is claimed in the first calendar year of the immediately succeeding block

• Where carry over exemption is not claimed in the first calendar year of the immediately succeeding block

Procedure to Claim LTA

The procedure to claim LTA is generally employer specific. Every employer announces the due date within which LTA can be claimed by the employees and may require employees to submit proof of travel such as tickets, boarding pass, invoice provided by travel agent etc., along with the mandatory declaration. Though it is not mandatory for employers to collect proof of travel, it is always advisable for employees to keep copies for his/her records and also to submit them to the employer based on the LTA policy of the company to tax authorities on demand.

Multi-Destination Journey

Income tax provision provides exemption w.r.t travel cost incurred on leave to any place in India. Conditions pertaining to the mode of transport also refer to the place of ‘origin’ to the place of ‘destination’ and the route which must be the shortest available route.

Hence, if an employee travels to different places in a single vacation, the exemption can only be availed for the travel cost eligible from the place of origin to the farthest place in the vacation by the shortest possible route.

LTA Exemption for Vacation on Holidays

Many organisations that go strictly by the wordings of the income tax provision are allowing employees to claim LTA only if the employee applies for leaves and travel during that time. Such organisations may reject LTA claims for travel on official holidays or weekends.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The amount of LTA/LTC exemption depends on the LTA/LTC component in your compensation package or CTC. You can furnish proof of travel within the block period and claim up to the amount prescribed in your CTC.

The latest block period of four years is from 1 January 2022 until 31 December 2025.

You can claim LTA/LTC exemption only for one trip in one calendar year.

You can claim LTA/LTC benefit for the travel costs of yourself and your family consisting of your spouse, children, dependent parents, brothers, and sisters of the employee.

No, LTC is taxable in case of new tax regime and exempted if chosen to pay tax under old tax regime by fulfilling the required criteria.

Exemption will be available in respect of 2 journeys performed in a block of 4 calendar years.

Yes, you can avail LTC in current block (2022-2025), if you have not availed LTC in previous block. (2018-2021). Where such travel concession or assistance is not availed by the individual during any block of 4 calendar years, one such un-availed LTC will be carried forward to the immediately succeeding block of 4 calendar years and will be eligible for exemption. 

Below example gives you clear understanding :

Example : An employee does not avail any LTC for the block 2018-21. He is allowed to carry forward maximum one un-availed LTC to be used in the succeeding block of 2022-25. Accordingly, if he avails LTC in April, 2023, the same will be treated as having availed in respect of the block 2018-2021. Therefore, he will be eligible for exemption in respect of that journey and two more journeys can be further availed in respect of the block of 2022-25.

Illustration : Mr. D went on a holiday on 25.12.2023 to Delhi with his wife and three children (one son – age 5 years; twin daughters – age 3 years). They went by flight (economy class) and the total cost of tickets reimbursed by his employer was 60,000 (45,000 for adults and 15,000 for the three minor children). Compute the amount of LTC exempt if Mr. D chose to pay taxes under old regime.

Solution :  Since the son’s age is more than the twin daughters, Mr. D can avail exemption for all his three children. The restriction of two children is not applicable to multiple births after one child. The holiday being in India and the journey being performed by air (economy class), the entire reimbursement met by the employer is fully exempt in the hands of Mr. D, since he chose to pay taxes under the old regime.

In the above illustration, will there be any difference if among his three children the twins were 5 years old and the son 3 years old? 

Since the twins’ age is more than the son, Mr. D cannot avail for exemption for all his three children. LTC exemption can be availed in respect of only two children. 

Taxable LTC = 15,000 × 1/3 = 5,000. 

LTC exempt would be only 55,000 (i.e. 60,000 – 5,000).

About the Author

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Multitasking between pouring myself coffees and poring over the ever-changing tax laws. Here, I've authored 100+ blogs on income tax and simplified complex income tax topics like the intimidating crypto tax rules, old vs new tax regime debate, changes in debt funds taxation, budget analysis and more. Some combinations I like- tax and content, finance & startups, technology & psychology, fitness & neuroscience. Read more

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Leave Travel Concession Rule for West Bengal Govt. Employees

Finance , Travelling Allowance

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL FINANCE DEPARTMENT AUDIT BRANCH

No. 7370-F(P) Dated: 09.10.2015

At present the State Government employees may avail themselves of the benefit of Leave Travel Concession once in service career during the period of five years preceding the actual date of retirement on superannuation for the following kinds of journeys, subject to the conditions as in this department’s Memo Nos. 9924-F dt. 07.12.2005 and 607-F dt. 20.01.2006 .

• For journeys to respective home town and back, provided the home town is different from the place of posting; and
• For journeys to any place of India and back.

The employees who have been duly permitted to retire voluntarily are also allowed to avail of the above benefit before their such retirement.

The present provisions of admissibility of Leave Travel Concession have been under consideration for review for sometime past.

Now, after careful consideration of the matter, the Governor has been pleased to decide in partial modification of this department Memo. No. 9924-F dt. 07.12.2005 read with Memo. No. 607-F dt. 20.01.2006 to allow the following benefits to the State Government employees instead of journeys on LTC as mentioned at (2) above.

(a) One Home Travel Concession once in every five years to visit any place within the State;

(b) One LTC once in ten years to visit any place in the neighbouring countries, namely, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives or within the Country.

Conditions for admissibility of the same in case the spouse of the Government employee is also employed will be as follows:-

(i) If the spouse of the Government employee is also a State Government employee, the as benefit can be availed of either by husband or wife a one family unit and in that case undertaking shall be submitted by the other that no such claim will be preferred from his/her office and this should be recorded in his/her Service Book.

(ii) If the spouse of the State Government employee is employed in Central/Central PSUs/Corporation/Autonomous Body, the benefit can be availed of either by the husband or wife employed under the State Government as one family unit from the State Government provided no benefit of LTC can be availed of by the other from the Central/Central PSUs/Corporation/Autonomous Body and in that case letter from the employer there in this respect that he/she has given such undertaking there shall be produced before availing of the above benefit.

(iii) If the spouse of the State Government employee is employed in the State PSUs/Corporations/Non-Government aided Institutions/Autonomous Body where facility of LTC does not exist, the spouse of the Government employee may avail of this benefit along with the Government employee as a member of the family on the condition that declaration to his/her controlling Authority shall be furnished that in future he/she will not enjoy the benefit of LTC, if the same is extended in the organization/institution as above in future.

Other conditions regarding admissibility of the benefit will be as in Finance Department Nos. 9924-F dt. 07.12.2005 and 607-F dt. 20.01.2006. For the purpose of availing of LTC in foreign countries as mentioned at Sl. No. (b) above, the same can be availed of by air in economy class from the nearest international airport of the country on the condition that journeys will have to be performed either by national carrier or private airlines of the country. The part of the journeys to and from the airport will be as per provision in the existing orders.

For journeys in the foreign countries as mentioned above orders issued by the P&AR Department are also to be followed.

This will take effect from 01.11.2015.

Sd/- H. K. Dwivedi Principal Secretary to the Government of West Bengal

No. 7370-F dated 09.10.2015 , Source

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Moscow Travel Guide

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Why travel to Moscow

Contrasts: 12th century monasteries and some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe can be found side-by-side in this complex and captivating city. The diversity of this mega-city is astounding. Only a few steps away from the solemn red facade of the Kremlin and the sounds of righteous church bells, a buzzing night scene and alternative-fashion boutiques can be found.

Culture: In Moscow only the best goes. Be it a theatre, restaurant or gallery, the standards are certain to be world-class. The Bolshoi ballet company is reputed to be even better than the Mariinsky’s and “MMOMA” (Moscow’s museum of modern art) exhibits works of art as profound as any that could be found in the famed MOMA.

Convenience: Unlike the rest of Russia, it’s easy enough to get by with just English in Moscow and, driving excepted, it is surprisingly safe: the murder rate is lower than in some of America’s major cities.

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It would take more than two days to walk around the perimeter of the biggest city in Europe, Moscow. Many of its inhabitants barely know what’s beyond the few blocks around their flat and there are so many attractions that it’s almost impossible to know where to start. If there is such a thing as an antidote to boredom, Moscow City is it. The mind-boggling range and diversity of things to do, places to eat, parks, historical monuments and more means that a vacation in Moscow has a wealth of activities to offer for every type of traveler, from young families to retirees.

Reasons to Vacation in Moscow in 2022

The Bolshoi theatre is familiar to almost everyone as Russia’s grandest theatre, but what people don’t know is that there are many more bolshoi (big) sites in Moscow that are worth travelling all the way to Moscow to see. For more than 100 years, the world’s biggest bell has been hidden behind the Kremlin’s walls and inside Moscow’s main park (which is bigger than some countries!) there is the world’s largest outdoor ice-rink. Travelers that visit Moscow can stay at the Izmailovo, Europe’s biggest hotel, then eat at the largest and most historic McDonald’s in Europe and after that have fun at the largest European indoor theme park!

Ancient Past & Stunning Architecture:

As those who travel to Moscow will see, just because Moscow is a city of record-breaking, glitzy high-rises doesn’t mean that there is no history. On the famous Arbat street, time-worn, wooden storehouses and century-old churches are squashed up against grey, soviet blocks which are then towered over by 21st century office-blocks. Unlike its much younger sibling, St Petersburg, Moscow’s roots stretch way back to the 12th century. Within the walls of the Kremlin, the city’s oldest building the Cathedral of Assumption can be admired in all its 500+ years of age.

Culture & Convenience

For a foreigner who has never visited Russia, Moscow is the perfect stepping stone into this great land of mystery. From the country’s best classical ballet troupes to snow-white troikas trotting through the parks, all the highlights of Russian culture can be had in Moscow without any of the complications that would be expected in other, less developed regions of Russia.

Cheap as Caviar

In Moscow, everything is bargain when with the current foreign exchange rates being what they are. Even caviar doesn’t seem so dear when the exchange rate is at 60rub to the dollar, so go on indulge yourself! Take your 2022 vacation in Moscow and have the best of both worlds, with European luxury at very affordable prices.

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

We had a great time both in Moscow and St Petersburg. Your travel agency was excellent in coordinating the whole trip. Everything worked like clockwork. The guides assigned to us were very nice and friendly. They had a great knowledge of their subjects. The cars and the drivers were great. The hotels were good and the itinerary was good. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. It was nice dealing with you and your company. Thank you very much for a great Russian experience. Have a great future ahead

• 31 reviews of Express to Russia Moscow Tours in Moscow

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CENTRAL CIVIL SERVICES (LEAVE TRAVEL CONCESSION) RULES, 1988

1. Short title, commencement and application. –

(1) These rules may be called the Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

(3) Subject to the provisions of sub-rule (4), these rules shall apply to all persons –

(i) who are appointed to civil services and posts including civilian Government servants in the Defence Services in connection with the affairs of the Union;

(ii) who are employed under a State Government and who are on deputation with the Central Government;

(iii) who are appointed on contract basis; and

(iv) who are re-employed after their retirement.

(4) These rules shall not apply to –

(a) Government servants not in whole-time employment;

(b) persons in casual and daily rated employment;

(c) persons paid from contingencies;

(d) Railway servants;

(e) members of the Armed Forces;

(f) local recruits in Indian Missions abroad; and

(g) persons eligible to any other form of travel concession available during leave or otherwise.

2. Special provisions regarding certain categories of employees. –

(1) In the case of persons belonging to categories mentioned in clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv) of sub-rule (3) of Rule 1, the leave travel concessions shall be admissible on completion of one year’s continuous service under the Central Government and provided that it is certified by the appropriate administrative authority that the employee concerned is likely to continue to serve under the Central Government for a period of at least two years in the case of Leave Travel Concession to hometown and at least four years in the case of leave travel concession to any place in India to be reckoned from the date of his joining the post under the Central Government.

(2) In the case of officers appointed on contract basis, where the initial contract is for one year but is later extended, the total duration of the contract will be taken into account for the purpose of leave travel concession.

(3) In the case of persons re-employed, immediately after retirement without any break, the period of re-employed service will be treated as continuous with the previous service for the purpose of leave travel concession and the concession allowed for the re-employed period, provided that the leave travel concession would have been admissible to the re-employed officer had he not retired but had continued as serving officer.

Illustration:- If an officer has availed of the concession to visit any place in India in respect of a block of four years before his retirement and he is re-employed without any break, he cannot avail this concession till the expiry of the particular block of four years.

3. Scope. –

The leave travel concession will cover the Government servant himself and his family.

4. Definitions.-

In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(a) "a place in India" will cover any place within the territory of India, whether it is on the mainland India or overseas;

(b) "controlling officer" means an officer declared as such under Supplementary Rule 191;

(c) "Disciplinary Authority" shall have the same meaning as assigned in clause (g) of Rule 2 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965;

(d) "Family" means:- see amendment

(i) the Government servant’s wife or husband, as the case may be, and two surviving unmarried children or step children wholly dependent on the Government servant, irrespective of whether they are residing with the Government servant or not;

(ii) married daughters who have been divorced, abandoned or separated from their husbands and widowed daughters and are residing with the Government servant and are wholly dependent on the Government servant;

(iii) parents and/or step mother residing with and wholly dependent on the Government servant;

(iv) unmarried minor brothers as well as unmarried, divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters residing with and wholly dependent on the Government servant, provided their parents are either not alive or are themselves wholly dependent on the Government servant.

EXPLANATIONS:

1. The restriction of the concession to only two surviving children or step children shall not be applicable in respect of (i) those employees who already have more than two children prior to the coming into force of this restriction i.e. 20.10.1997; (ii) children born within one year of the coming into force of this restriction; (iii) where the number of children exceeds two as a result of second child birth resulting in multiple births.

2. Not more than one wife is included in the term "Family" for the purpose of these Rules. However, if a Government servant has two legally wedded wives and the second marriage is with the specific permission of the Government, the second wife shall also be included in the definition of "Family".

3. Though it is not necessary for the spouse and children to reside with the Government servant so as to be eligible for the Leave Travel Concession, the concession in their cases shall, however, be restricted to the actual distance traveled or the distance between the headquarters/place of posting of the Government servant and the hometown/place of visit, whichever is less.

4. Children of divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters are not included in the term "Family".

5. A member of the family whose income from all sources, including pension, temporary increase in pension but excluding dearness relief on pension or stipend etc. does not exceed Rs.1500 p.m. is deemed to be wholly dependent on the Government servant.

(e) "hometown" means the town, village or any other place declared as such by the Government servant and accepted by the controlling officer;

(f) "shortest direct route" shall have the same meaning as given in Supplementary Rule 30 and orders issued thereunder from time to time.

5. Change of Hometown.-

The hometown once declared and accepted by the controlling officer shall be treated as final. In exceptional circumstances, the Head of the Department or if the Government servant himself is the Head of the Department, the Administrative Ministry, may authorise a change in such declaration provided that such a change shall not be made more than once during the service of a Government servant.

6. Declaration of place of visit under Leave Travel Concession to any place in India.-

When the concession to visit any place in India is proposed to be availed of by a Government servant or any member of the family of such Government servant, the intended place of visit shall be declared by the Government servant in advance to his controlling officer. The declared place of visit may be changed before the commencement of the journey with the approval of his controlling officer but it may not be changed after the commencement of the journey except in exceptional circumstances where it is established that the request for change could not be made before the commencement of the journey owing to circumstances beyond the control of the Govt. servant. This relaxation may be made by the Administrative Ministry/Department or by the Head of the Department, as the case may be.

7. Admissibility of Leave Travel Concession.-

(1) The leave travel concession shall be admissible to persons of the categories specified in clauses (i) and (iii) of sub-rule (3) of Rule 1 only, if they have completed one year’s continuous service under the Central Government on the date of journey performed by him or his family, as the case may be, to avail of the concession.

(2) The leave travel concession shall be admissible during any period of leave, including casual leave and special casual leave.

8. Types of leave travel concession.- see amendment

(a) The leave travel concession to hometown shall be admissible irrespective of the distance between the headquarters of the Government servant and his hometown, once in a block of two calendar years, such as 1986-87, 1988-89 and so on.

(b) the leave travel concession to any place in India shall be admissible irrespective of the distance of the place of visit from the headquarters of the Government servant, once in a block of four calendar years, such as 1986-89, 1990-93 and so on:

Provided that in the case of a Government servant to whom leave travel concession to hometown is admissible, the leave travel concession to any place in India availed of by him shall be in lieu of, and adjusted against, the leave travel concession to hometown available to him at the time of commencement of the journey;

(c) A Government servant whose family lives away from him at his hometown may, in lieu of all concessions under this scheme, including the leave travel concession to visit any place in India once in a block of four years which would otherwise be admissible to him and members of his family, choose to avail of leave travel concession for self only to visit the hometown every year.

9. Counting of leave travel concession against particular blocks.-

A Government servant and members of his family availing of leave travel concession may travel in different groups at different times during a block of two of four years, as the case may be. The concession so availed of will be counted against the block of two years or four years within which the outward journey commenced, even if the return journey was performed after the expiry of the block of two years or four years. This will apply to availing of leave travel concession carried forward in terms of Rule 10.

10. Carry over of leave travel concession.-

A Government servant who is unable to avail of the leave travel concession within a particular block of two years or four years may avail of the same within the first year of the next block of two years or four years. If a Government servant is entitled to leave travel concession to home town, he can carry forward the leave travel concession to any place in India for a block of four years only if he has carried forward the leave travel concession to home town in respect of the second block of two years within the block of four years.

11. Place to be visited by Government servant and members of his family under leave travel concession to any place in India.-

A Government servant and each member of his family may visit different places of their choice during a block of four years. It shall not be necessary for members of family of a Government servant to visit the same place as that visited by the Government servant himself at any time earlier during the same block.

12. Entitlement.-        see amendment         see new rates

(1) For travel under the Scheme of Leave Travel Concession the entitlement shall be as under –

(A) Journey by Air/Rail:

*All Govt. servants who are entitled to travel on LTC by First Class/AC 3-tier Sleeper/AC Chair Car may, at their discretion, travel by AC 2-tier Sleeper in cases where any of the trains connecting the originating and destination stations concerned by the direct shortest route do not provide these three classes of accommodation.

Travel by Rajdhani Express Trains:

Travel by Shatabdi Express Trains:

Note.- Entitlement by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Trains would be applicable in cases where journey is actually undertaken by these trains and not for determining entitlement on notional basis. Both ends of the journey, i.e., place of start of the journey and the destination should be directly connected by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express.

(B) Journey by Sea or by River Steamer:

Accommodation entitlements for travel between the mainland and the Andaman & Nicobar Group of Islands and the Lakshadweep Group of Islands by ships operated by the Shipping Corporation of India Limited will be as follows:-

(C) Journey by Road:

NOTE.- In all cases of travel by AC Taxi, Taxi or Autorickshaw production of fare receipt will be necessary.

(2) Journey by road.-

(i) Where a public transport system as aforesaid does not exist, the assistance will be regulated as in case of journeys undertaken on transfer.

(ii) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1) or Clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-rule (2), where a Govt. servant travelling by road takes a seat or seats in a bus, van or other vehicle operated by Tourism Development Corporations in the Public Sector, State Transport Corporations and Transport services run by other Government or local bodies to visit any place in India, the reimbursement shall be either the actual hire charges or the amount reimbursable on the journey to the declared place of visit had the journey been undertaken by entitled class by rail by the shortest direct route, whichever is less. Reimbursement shall not be admissible for journey by a private car (owned, borrowed or hired), or a bus, van or other vehicle owned by private operators.

(3) By Air.- The Govt. servant may travel by air between places not connected by rail, where an alternative means of travel is either not available or is more expensive.

(4) In regard to places in territory of India connected by shipping services, the entitlement of a Govt. servant to travel by ship will be regulated as in the case of journeys by ship undertaken on transfer.

(5) Travel between places not connected by any other means of transport.- For travel between places not connected by any other means of transport, a Govt. servant can avail of animal transport like pony, elephant, camel, etc. In such cases mileage allowance will be admissible at the same rate as for journeys on transfer.

EXPLANATION.- For the purpose of this Rule, "Pay" shall mean pay as defined in FR 9 (21) (a) (I). [Now Basic pay + NPA+SI-vide GID (1) below SR 17 and OM, dated 7.6.1990.]

13. Reimbursement.-

Reimbursement under the leave travel concession scheme shall not cover incidental expenses and expenditure incurred on local journeys. Reimbursement for expenses of journey shall be allowed only on the basis of a point to point journey on a through ticket over the shortest direct route.

14. Forfeiture of claim.-

A claim for reimbursement of expenditure incurred on journey under leave travel concession shall be submitted within three months after the completion of the return journey, if no advance had been drawn. Failure to do so will entail forfeiture of the claim and no relaxation shall be permissible in this regard.

15. Grant of advance and adjustment thereof.-

(i) Advance may be granted to Government servants to enable them to avail themselves of the concession. The amount of such advance in each case shall be limited to four-fifths of the estimated amount, which Government would have to reimburse in respect of the cost of the journey both ways.

(ii) If the family travels separately from the Government servant, the advance may also be drawn separately to the extent admissible.

(iii) The advance may be drawn both for the forward and return journeys at the time of commencement of the forward journey, provided the period of leave taken by the Government servant or the period of anticipated absence of the members of the family does not exceed three months or ninety days. If this limit is exceeded, then the advance may be drawn for the outward journey only.

(iv) If the limit of 3 months or ninety days is exceeded after the advance had already been drawn for both the journeys, one half of the advance should be refunded to the Government forthwith.

(v) The advance should be refunded in full if the outward journey is not commenced within 30 days of the grant of advance. However, in cases where reservations can be made sixty days before the proposed date of the outward journey and advance is granted accordingly, the Government servant should produce the tickets within ten days of the drawal of advance, irrespective of the date of commencement of the journey.

(vi) Where an advance has been drawn by a Government servant, the claim for reimbursement of the expenditure incurred on the journey shall be submitted within one month of the completion of the return journey. On a Government servant’s failure to do so, he shall be required to refund the entire amount of advance forthwith in one lump sum. No request for recovery of the advance in instalments shall be entertained.

16. Fraudulent claim of leave travel concession.-

(1) If a decision is taken by the Disciplinary Authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings against a Government servant on the charge of preferring a fraudulent claim of leave travel concession, such Government servant shall not be allowed the leave travel concession till the finalisation of such disciplinary proceedings.

(2) If the disciplinary proceedings result in imposition of any of the penalties specified in Rule 11 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, the Government servant shall not be allowed the next two sets of the leave travel concession in addition to the sets already withheld during the pendancy of the disciplinary proceedings. For reasons to be recorded in writing, the controlling authority can also disallow more than two sets of leave travel concession.

(3) If the Government servant is fully exonerated of the charge of fraudulent claim of leave travel concession, he shall be allowed to avail of the concession withheld earlier as additional set (s) in future block years but before the normal date of his superannuation.

EXPLANATION.- For the purpose of this rule, leave travel concession to hometown and leave travel concession to any place in India as specified in clauses (a) and (b) of Rule 8 shall constitute two sets of the leave travel concession.

17. Interpretation.-

If there is any doubt regarding any of the provisions in these rules, the matter shall be referred to the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, who shall decide the same.

18. Power to relax.-

Save as otherwise provided in these rules, where any Ministry or Department of the Government is satisfied that the operation of any of these rules causes undue hardship in any particular case, that Ministry or Department, as the case may be, may, by order, for reasons to be recorded in writing, dispense with or relax the requirements of that rule to such extent and subject to such exception and conditions as it may consider necessary for dealing with the case in a just and equitable manner:

Provided that no such order shall be made except with the concurrence of the Department of Personnel and Training.

19. Saving.-

All the existing instructions which are not contrary to any of the provisions of these rules and all instructions which cover matters not specifically covered by these rules, shall continue to be in force until they are amended, modified or cancelled.

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Leave Travel Concession for Central Government Employees – Rules and Procedures

Updated LTC Rules – Leave Travel Concession for Central Government Employees – Eligibility and procedures to be followed

Central Government Holiday Homes

How to book CG Holiday home in the new online booking system?

LTC – Leave Travel Concession Extended to Railway Employees-DOPT order

FAQs on Leave Travel Concession entitlements of Fresh Recruit

LTC for Central Government Employees after 7th Pay Commission Implementation

1.1 Introduction:

The Government of India has introduced the facility of leave travel concessions in 1956 which was regulated by the orders issued from time to time. In 1988, all these orders are brought out in the form of Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988.

1.2 Applicability:

1.2.1 These rules shall apply to all persons –

(i) who are appointed to civil services and posts including civilian Government servants in the Defence Services in connection with the affairs of the Union;

(ii) who are employed under a State Government and who are on deputation with the Central Government;

(iii) who are appointed on contract basis; and

(iv) who are re-employed after their retirement.

1.2.2 These rules shall not apply to –

(a) Government servants not in whole-time employment;

(b) persons in casual and daily-rated employment;

(c) persons paid from contingencies;

(d) Railway servants;

(e) members of the Armed Forces;

(f) local recruits in Indian Missions abroad; and

(g) persons eligible to any other form of travel concession available during leave or otherwise.

1.3 Admissibility:

(1) Any employee with one year of continuous service on the date of journey performed by him/his family is eligible for leave travel concession.

Note: Period of unauthorized absence, declared under FR-17 A, will be treated as break in service for calculating the continuous period of service unless the same is condoned by the competent authority.

(2) In the case of persons belonging to categories mentioned in Causes (ii), (iii) and (iv) of (1.2.1), the leave travel concession shall be admissible on completion of one year’s continuous service under the Central Government and provided that it is certified by the appropriate administrative authority that the employee concerned is likely to continue to serve under the Central Government for a period of at least two years in the case of leave travel concession to hometown and at least four years in the case of leave travel concession to any place in India to be reckoned from the date of his joining the post under the Central Government.

(3) In the case of officers appointed on contract basis, where the initial contract is for one year but is later extended, the total duration of the contract will be taken into account for the purpose of leave travel concession.

(4) In the case of persons re-employed, immediately after retirement without any break, the period of re-employed service will be treated as continuous with the previous service for the purpose of leave travel concession and the concession allowed for the re-employed period, provided that the leave travel concession would have been admissible to the re-employed officer had he not retired but had continued as serving officer.

Illustration: If an officer has availed of the concession to visit any place in India in respect of a block of four years before his retirement and he is re-employed without any break, he cannot avail this concession till the expire of the particular block of four years.

The leave travel concession will cover the Government servant himself and his family.

Family means:

i) the Government servant’s wife or husband, as the case may be, and two surviving unmarried children or stepchildren wholly dependent on the Government servant, irrespective of whether they are residing with the Government servant or not;

ii) married daughters who have been divorced, abandoned or separated from their husbands and widowed daughters and are residing with the Government servant and are wholly dependent on the Government servant;

iii) parents and/ or stepmother and stepfather wholly dependent on the Government servant irrespective of whether they are residing with Government Servant or not;

iv) unmarried minor brothers as well as unmarried, divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters residing with and wholly dependent on the Government servant, provided their parents are either not alive or are themselves wholly dependent on the Government servant.

Explanations:

1. The restriction of the concession to only two surviving children or stepchildren shall not be applicable in respect of (i) those employees w/10 already have more than two children prior to the earning into force of this restriction, i.e., 20.10.1997; (ii) children born within one year of the corning into farce of this restrict; (iii) where the number of children exceeds two as a result of second child birth resulting in multiple births.

2. Not more than one wife is included in the term “Family” for the purpose of these Rules. However, if a Government servant has two legally wedded wives and the second marriage  is with the specific permission of the Government, the second wife shall also be included in the definition of “Family”.

3. Though it is not necessary for the spouse and children to reside with the Government servant so as to be eligible for the Leave Travel Concession, the concession in their cases shall, however, be restricted to the actual distance travelled or the distance between the headquarters/ place of posting of the Government servant and the hometown/ place of visit, whichever is less.

4. Children of divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands or widowed sisters are not included in the term “Family”.

5. A member of the family whose income from. all sources, including pension, temporary increase in pension but excluding dearness relief on pension or stipend, etc. does not exceed Rs.3,5001/- p.m.. is deemed to be wholly dependent on the Government servant. [*As per 7 CPC it will be Rs. 9000/-]

1.5 Type of Leave Travel Concession:

1.5.1 Hometown LTC: The leave travel concession to hometown shall be admissible irrespective of the distance between the headquarters of the Government servant and his hometown, once in a block of two calendar years, such as 1986-87, 1988- 89 and so on. Current two year block is 2016-2017.

1.5.2 Any Place in India: The leave travel concession to any place in India shall be admissible irrespective of the distance of the place of visit from the headquarters of the Government servant, once in a block of four calendar years, such as 1986- 89, 1990-93 and so on. Current four year block is 2014-2017.

1.5.3 A Government servant whose family lives away from him at his hometown may, in lieu of all concessions under this scheme, including the leave travel concession to visit any place in India once in a block of four years which would otherwise be admissible to him and members of his family, choose to avail of leave travel concession for self only to visit the hometown every year.

The above LTC may be availed as follows:

1.5.4 LTC for Fresh Recruits:

(1) The 6th CPC had recommended that “Fresh Recruits” to the Central Government may be allowed to travel to their Hometown along with their families on three occasions in a block of four years and to any place in India on the fourth occasion. This was accepted by the Government and orders were issued vide DoPT O.M. No. 31011/4/2008-Estt.(A) dated 23rd September 2008.

(2) This facility shall be available to the fresh recruits only for the first two blocks of four years applicable after joining the Government for the first time.

(3) The first two blocks of four years shall apply with reference to the initial date of joining the Government service even though the Govt. servant may change the job within the Government subsequently. However, as per Rule 7 of CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988, the LTC entitlement of a fresh recruit will be calculated calendar year wise with effect from the date of completion of one year of regular service.

(4) A fresh recruit who has joined Government service before 01.09.2008 (i.e. before the introduction of this scheme) and has not completed his first eight years of service as on 01.09.2008 will be eligible for this concession for the remaining time-period till the completion of first eight years of his/ her service.

(5) The first two blocks of four years of fresh recruits will be personal to them.  On completion of eight years of LTC, they will be treated at par with other regular LTC beneficiaries as per the prescribed blocks like 2014-17, 2018-21 etc.

1.6 Grace Period:

(i) LTC of either type not availed till the end of the particular two year block period, it can be availed during the succeeding year. For example: any hometown or any place in India LTC against the block period 2014-15 can be availed during the grace period of one year i.e. 2016, in such case journey can be started even on 31st December 2016 and returned journey being performed in 2017.

(ii) Two LTC in a calendar year is permissible. If the Hometown LTC of the period 2014- 15 is availed in grace period in 2016, in the same year, Any Place in India LTC or Hometown LTC of the two year block of 2016-17 can be availed.

(iii) There is no compulsion to avail LTC due for the earlier block should be availed first before availing the LTC of current block. Therefore in the above example, first we can avail LTC of block period 2016-17 and then LTC of block period 2014-15 at any time before the end of December 2016.

(iv) No grace period is provided in case of entitlement of LTC as fresh recruits. Hence carryover of LTC to the next year is not allowed in case of a fresh recruit as he is already entitled to every year LTC. Hence, if a fresh recruit does not avail of the LTC facility in any year, his LTC will deem to have lapsed with the end of that year.

1.7 Hometown/Any Place in India:

Hometown means the town, village or any other place declared as such by the Government servant in the prescribed form and accepted by the controlling officer. The necessary details may be entered in the service book. No detailed verification is necessary before accepting declaration initially.

Change of Hometown: The hometown once declared and accepted by the controlling officer shall be treated as final. In exceptional circumstances, the Head of the Department or, if the Government servant himself is the Head of the Department, the Administrative Ministry, may authorize a change in such declaration provided that, such a change shall not be made more than once during the service of a Government servant.

The criteria mentioned below may, therefore, be applied one after the other to determine whether the Govt. servant’s declaration may be accepted-

(i) Whether the place declared by Government servant is the one which requires his physical presence at interval and the Government servant visiting that place frequently.

(ii) Whether the Government servant owns residential property in that place or whether he is a member of a joint family having such property there.

(iii) Whether his near relations are resident in that place.

(iv) Whether prior to his entry into Government service, the Government servant had been living there for some years.

Note: The criteria, one after the other, need be applied only in cases where the immediately preceding criterion is not satisfied.

Where the Government servant or the family of which he is a member owns a residential or landed property in more than one place, it is left to the Government servant to make a choice giving reasons for the same, provided that the decision of the Controlling Officer whether or not to accept such place as the hometown of the Government servant shall be final.

Any Place in India : The expression “any place in India” will cover any place within the territory of India whether it is on the mainland, or overseas. If there are any local restrictions on visits to places in border areas, it is the responsibility of the Govt. servant undertaking the visit to fulfil the conditions for visit to the places which are subject to local restrictions.

1.8 Declaration of place of visit under leave travel concession to any place in India:

(i) Visit to the declared hometown or declared place in any place in India LTC is essential without this LTC claim will not be considered.

(ii) When the concession to visit any place in India is proposed to be availed of by a Government servant or any member of the family of such Government servant, the intended place of visit shall be declared by the Government servant in advance to his controlling officer.

The declared place of visit may be changed before the commencement of the journey with the approval of his controlling officer, but it may not be changed after the commencement of the journey except in exceptional circumstances where it is established that the request for change could not be made before the commencement of the journey owing to circumstances beyond the control of the Government servant.

This relaxation may be made by the Administrative Ministry/ Department or by the Head of the Department, as the case may be.

Note: Sanction of the Head of the Department would be required only if such change in the declared place of visit could not be intimated before the commencement of the outward journey.

1.9 Counting of leave travel concession against particular blocks:

A Government servant and members of his family availing of leave travel concession may travel in different groups at different times during a block of two or four years, as the case may be. The concession so availed of will be counted against the block of two years or four years within which the outward journey commenced, even if the return journey was performed after the expiry of the block of two years or four years. This will apply to availing of leave travel concession carried forward in terms of Rule 10.

1.10 Place to be visited by Government servant and members of his family under leave travel concession to any place in India:

A Government servant and each member of his family may visit different places of their choice during a block of four years. It shall not be necessary for members of family of a Government servant to visit the same place as that visited by the Government servant himself at any time earlier during the same block.

1.11 Prior Intimation Necessary:

Before availing leave travel concession for himself or any family members, prior intimation to the Controlling Officer is necessary.

1.12 Commencement of the journey:

In every case, the journey should be to the hometown/ place of visit and back but it need not necessarily commence from or end at the headquarters of the Government servant either in his own case or in the case of the family but the concession will be limited to the journey between the headquarters and hometown/place of visit.

The Golden Rules of Retirement Travel

By Stacey Lastoe

This is part of a collection of stories celebrating the many shapes retirement travel can take. Read more here.

Bonni and Bob Gumport travel regularly in their retirement. Not beholden to one short vacation a year (they average seven big ones), their compounding experience has allowed them to develop a code of rules by which they abide— tips and tricks to use wherever they go. After one too many of the small rooms common in boutique hotels, for example, they’ve cut them out entirely. Also out of the question are walking tours within two days of arrival in a new destination, as they prefer to settle in. Their daughter Lauren describes them as “pros on retiree travel,” but they are not the only ones with advice to give.

There are former museum curators who have learned not to overbook themselves; solo travelers who always learn a little of the local language. Adherence to anyone’s rules will never ensure a vacation free of hiccups, where no flight is ever delayed , every tour is worth the hours put in, and every meal sublime . But learning from others may improve your chances of a good time—even when things inevitably go sideways. We’ve spoken to over 20 retired travelers to hear how their Golden Years have informed the way that they travel. Below, find some of their savviest secrets for better trips.

1. Take a ride on the hop-on, hop-off bus tour

If she’s traveling in a city that offers one of those double-decker hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tours, Denver -based Heidi Burtoni, 65, who goes on multiple trips per year, is definitely stepping aboard. Burtoni says it’s a great way to figure out the rest of her itinerary, get tips from other travelers and the tour guide, and get a feel for the new city. “It’s the first thing I do to get the lay of the land,” says Burtoni. Her previous career in sales means the frequent solo traveler will “talk to anybody,” so these tours also open the door for socializing and making connections.

Know what to skip—“whether that means avoiding tourist traps, the most sweltering hours at fairs, or not putting yourself in danger by flagging a taxi when it's unsafe," says Lynn Zelevansky.

2. Figure out what to avoid

For Paul and Lynn Zelevansky (77 and 76, respectively), travel is less about hitting all the top spots and more about learning where not to go, “whether that means avoiding tourist traps, the most sweltering hours at fairs, or not putting yourself in danger by flagging a taxi when it’s unsafe.” They visit the Venice Biennale in fall, now, rather than at the opening, to avoid the worst of the crushes—it also helps them more effectively skirt the city's infamous pickpockets (Lynn's wallet was stolen on a crowded vaporetto ferry in 2022).

3. BYOTP (Bring Your Own Toilet Paper)

“Toilet paper in Europe is very scratchy … not good for sensitive parts,” says Florida native Karen Butera, an avid pickleball player who often travels with the sport in mind. Whenever overseas, she always travels with her own toilet paper. Butera, 66, is taking her granddaughter to see Taylor Swift in Paris this summer, and, yes, she will be packing TP—creature comforts are even more crucial on the road than they are at home.

4. Don’t overschedule

Packed-to-the-brim itineraries used to be J. Patrice Marandel’s MO, but these days, the former chief curator at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is more keen on scheduling “plenty of time for the unexpected.” Gone are the nonstop days with planned breakfasts, lunches, and dinners; instead, Marandel, 79, leaves room for the possibility of something unexpected and “exciting.” It often pays off.

5. Pack light

Buffalo, New York-based Lisa LaLonde, 74, and her travel companion Antoinette Judelsohn, 70, whom she’s been traveling with for over a decade, are pros at packing light . The pals can manage for a month on very little, relying on the versatility of black leggings and black tops, says LaLonde. The trick? Develop a travel uniform, bring just a few versions, and wash undergarments as necessary, says Judelsohn. Big suitcases stuffed to the brim with a ton of different outfits are more of a hassle than a luxury. “They’re a pain in the neck if you’re getting on a train or off a train … or moving from one city to another,” says LaLonde.

“Anybody and their brother with an RV travels on Sunday,” warns Jenelle Jones.

6. Don't get (too) excited

Judelsohn, a former teacher who met LaLonde when they worked together at the same school in Buffalo, has another travel rule that’s served her well: Letting go of expectations. “I never get excited about a trip,” says Judelsohn. Instead, the savvy traveler lets the excitement emerge based on what's in front of her in the moment.

7. Avoid traveling on Sundays

RVer Jenelle Jones, 64, is against traveling on Sundays. As she puts it, “anybody and their brother with an RV travels on Sunday.” Long weekend RVers who have to get back for work on Monday use Sundays to head home, so retired Jones, 64, simply avoids the day altogether. It's also, according to her, the “biggest day to get in an RV wreck”— yet another reason to sit back and relax. You have nowhere you need to be, after all. Take advantage.

8. Learn a few words of the local language

Charlotte Simpson , whose blog Traveling Black Widow documents her travels (100 countries and counting so far), says her number one travel rule is to learn a few key phrases—hello, goodbye, please, thank you—in the dominant language of the places she visits. Simpson says her efforts are always well received. “I just find, inevitably, it sort of stuns people when I even just say good morning.” Simpson, who prefers not to reveal her age, says she gets a lot out of bridging the language gap with just a few words: “It just makes people so friendly and so happy that you took this moment to learn [their language].”

9. Travel slower

When you cram too much into a single trip, “the whole experience just kind of becomes a blur,” say Gillian Batt, 43, and Stephanie Myers, 51, whose blog Our Freedom Years documents their early retirement and subsequent travels. The couple, who hail from Ontario, Canada, say staying in one place for an extended period of time helps them avoid travel burnout, keep costs low, and enjoy the whole experience more. All that rushing around on limited PTO? Well behind them.

For RVers like Norm, keeping things flexible is key.

10. Go your own way

The pandemic crystallized things for Kim Kelly Stamp , 65, and her wife Liz Schick, 62, who left it all behind and decided to travel around the country in a red 21-foot teardrop trailer. They’ve since gotten really good at going with the flow. “We know where we’re going to stay along the way, but we hold that really loosely and give ourselves the opportunity to make something else happen,” explains Stamp. This approach led them to Laurel, Mississippi, where the HGTV show Hometown —of which Stamp and Schick are big fans of, is based. Instead of following a regimented schedule, they followed their passion when the road forked, literally.

11. Keep an open heart and mind

In spite of being seasoned travelers, John and Bev Martin, 60, who started the RetirementTravelers site to share their journey with others, admit they still need to remind themselves that they can’t control everything. “We have to be patient and receptive to the lessons the world is trying to teach,” says the couple. One that keeps coming up? “Retirement is not the time to stop dreaming about new and different routes in life.”

12. Do your research

The Gumports appreciate getting a taste of the local culture wherever they are traveling, and they’re not opposed to tours or experiences that deliver on this front. But Bonni has a few words of advice: “If you’re looking at purchasing something that uses words such as ‘bespoke, artisanal, farm-to-table’ and more fluffy adjectives, make sure these experiences are as authentic as they sound.” Read reviews thoroughly and take the time to research before you buy, advises Bonni. It's fun to be spontaneous, but it's easy to be misled by clever marketing and buzzwords.

13. It’s a marathon—not a sprint

It wasn’t long before Brenda Huyhn adopted—and adapted— a popular van-lifer rule: Don’t travel more than 3 hours, get in by 3 p.m., and stay at least 3 nights. Huyhn, who at 47 retired earlier than many, is adamant about not trying to do too much in one day to avoid burnout. She and her husband take their time, prioritizing “quality over quantity” with their stops and stays. It makes the entire experience all the richer.

14. You can always head home

Diana Petterson is on track to hit the 100-country mark just in time for her 70th birthday in 2026. But as much as the Black solo traveler loves seeing the world, she’s not afraid to ditch a trip if something isn’t working out. “Wherever I am in the world, if for whatever reason I am uncomfortable, or I don't feel well … I’m going to plop down that credit card , and get home.”

15. Start the day early to avoid the crowds

Artist Simma Liebman, 76, enjoys going to museums while visiting new cities and places. But since the retiree is immunocompromised, she plans these outings a little differently. Now Liebman hits the museums “as early in the day as possible” and masks up while taking in the art "unless there are very few people inside.” Whatever your motivation, rising early is something you can be sure the hordes of 20-something backpackers won't be doing. Beat them to all the best spots.

“I like a very good hotel, but not necessarily the best,” says Betty. Focus on getting the right location.

16. Base yourself strategically

Betty, 80, an art collector who declined to share her last name, has found that mid-sized hotels (meaning about 200 rooms) in central locations, with just enough of the services she wants and needs, do the job. “I like a very good hotel, but not necessarily the best,” says Betty. As long as you have the basics covered, it's really about location, location, location.

17. Don’t wait for tomorrow

Instead of putting off travel for a later date, Chicago -based Ruthie Maldonado-Delwiche advises those interested in exploring the world to get out there and “do it now.” Because “tomorrow isn’t promised,” Maldonado-Delwiche, who’s been traveling since she retired in 2017, says. Don't wait if there’s something you want to do or a place you want to visit.

Former psychiatrist Ann Heaslett, 60, who aims to run the six major world marathons in her retirement, feels exactly the same way. “There’s no time like the present.”

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Moscow residents full of questions for Home Depot

Nov. 4—Moscow residents pressed Home Depot officials on matters like traffic, jobs and water use during a community meeting Friday in Moscow.

In August, the Idaho State Board of Education unanimously approved a ground lease between Home Depot and the University of Idaho to build a 138,000-square-foot store and garden center on UI land just north of the Palouse Mall. Home Depot plans to open the store in 2025.

According to Moscow's city code, a large retailer like Home Depot is required to hold a community meeting before establishing a store in the city. Approximately 50 people attended that meeting Friday at the Best Western Plus University Inn.

People who attended, including employees of Moscow-Pullman Building Supply, questioned the officials about the economic effects of introducing Home Depot into a small community like Moscow.

Barry Simmons, Home Depot's real estate manager, said many smaller businesses actually want to be close to Home Depot stores because they drive traffic to the area.

Dan Zoldak, the site development coordinator for Home Depot, said it will benefit the community by bringing business and jobs to the market. He said Home Depot stores also attract contractors to cities they are located in.

According to Home Depot, the company drives $1 billion in economic activity in Idaho already.

Home Depot plans to hire 150 to 200 part-time and full-time employees in the Moscow store. This topic sparked some debate Friday as the Home Depot officials did not know what percentage of its employees will be part-time.

Alan Espenschade, director of operations for Moscow-Pullman Building Supply, said many local companies primarily hire full-time employees. He said 85 to 90% of Moscow-Pullman Building Supply's employees are full-time.

To compete with Home Depot's prices, Espenschade said Moscow-Pullman Building Supply may have to consider hiring fewer full-time employees,"which goes against our entire culture."

"It's the ideology of a big box store versus your more small to mid-level mom and pop stores.," he said.

Espenschade assumed that Home Depot would hire a much larger percentage of part-time employees, but the Home Depot officials could not say with certainty what that percentage would be.

"We cannot honestly tell you two years in the future how many part-time employees it will have," said Eric Douglas, manager of Home Depot's government relations.

Several people, including Moscow City Council candidate Evan Holmes, brought up concerns about the store's water use. Holmes asked for Home Depot to show the community a plan to minimize its water consumption.

Zoldak said the store will meet Moscow's low-flow requirements and use drought-tolerant landscaping. They also appeared open to the suggestion of recapturing rainwater from the store's roof.

Others pointed out that this does not account for the water required to sustain Home Depot's garden center. Tyler Garrett, Moscow-Pullman Building Supply CEO, said Home Depot said his store uses hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per year on its nursery.

As for traffic effects, Home Depot completed a traffic study that has not yet been approved by the city of Moscow. Home Depot plans to cover the cost of extending A Street along the front of the store. Zoldak said there will probably be a four-way stop at the A Street and Farm Road intersection.

Garrett said that section of A Street is already busy with traffic, and he is worried the new store will create "a traffic jam for blocks."

The Moscow store will likely reduce the amount of people driving to the Lewiston Home Depot. Simmons said about 20% of Lewiston's sales will migrate to the Moscow store.

"I do believe there is a good portion of the community here that would benefit from a Home Depot and actually prefer not to have to drive as far to get some of the materials they need," Simmons said.

The Home Depot district manager who oversees the Lewiston store did not attend Friday's meeting.

When asked about the lights outside the Home Depot, Zoldak said the lights will be dimmed after the store closes each night.

Zoldak said he believes the store meets all of the city's codes, but the plans still have to be approved by Moscow officials. He said the store is not a done deal, but he hopes to start getting construction bids in December or January.

Some questioned why Moscow city officials were not present at the meeting.

Moscow City Supervisor Bill Belknap said that Friday's gathering was an informal, off-record meeting. He said the city issues permits for this project, so it would not be appropriate for anyone affiliated with the city government to be present at such an event.

"The City is the permitting authority and members of the City's Zoning Board of Adjustment and City Council may be called to act as hearing examiners to consider any appeals based upon the official record," Belknap wrote in an email. "As a result, it is not appropriate for staff or the Mayor or City Council to participate in the meeting or gather information outside the official record which could jeopardize their ability to participate as hearing examiners."

Espenschade said after the meeting he is worried this store signals a paradigm shift for Moscow, which he fears is becoming homogenized like other cities.

"You used to come to Moscow, Idaho, because you could buy a coffee at One World, not Starbucks," he said. "You could go to Moscow-Building Supply, not Home Depot."

He said competition is great for the consumer and even businesses, but he is concerned Moscow is losing its identity.

"Everything's becoming vanilla," he said.

Kuipers can be reached at [email protected] .

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