Last Updated on December 26, 2023 by BFSLTeam BFSLTeam
For central government employees in India, leave travel concession (LTC) is one of the benefits that employers get from their employment. Leave travel concession rules are thus important to be aware of if you work for the central government of India. Some alterations have been effected (compared to the previous rules) and these are vital to know about if central government employees wish to avail concessions to travel to different parts of India or visit their hometown. Furthermore, there is a new set of rules as regards LTC rules, related to the entitlement of air travel for Level 6 and Level 8 cadre officers of the central government’s pay scheme.
Table of Content
Aspects of Leave Travel Concession Rules
LTC is granted to employees of the central Indian government for travel to many parts of India and for visits to the employee’s hometown. In the purview of the rules, the number of visits to the hometown that are permitted is two. This stipulation is allowed every four years. One of the visits to the hometown may be exchanged for travel to any other location if that is required. Such LTC rules are not applicable to employees of the railways as they get other concessions based on rail travel.
Additional Read: 7th Pay Commission Leave Rules in India
Air Travel Regulations for Employees
In terms of leave travel concession rules, the air travel concession regulations have undergone several requests for changes and some relaxations in the following may be in the offing:
- Permission for all employees of the central Indian government to travel to and from Jammu and Kashmir, the North Eastern Region, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Ladakh via air.
- Permission for central Indian government employees who are located in North Eastern states to travel within the boundaries of the region.
- An LTC increase in the periodicity from every 4 years to every 2 years.
- Permission for an employee entitled to central government LTC rules to travel abroad once in their lifetime.
- Other concessions and benefit requests have been made regarding employees working in the railways and for those employees posted on islands. Furthermore, employees working in the area of Defence have raised requests to extend LTC benefits for those employees posted at high altitudes and in the field to gain additional railway perks.
Additional Read: 7th Central Pay Commission Interest-free Advances
New Regulations
Some new regulations pertaining to the LTC rules were launched by the Ministry of Finance in 2017. In effect, the 7th CPC leave travel concession rules with regard to travel entitlements would be the same as entitlements for TA. The exception to the new regulation would be related to Level 6 and Level 8 employees such that these employees would be entitled to air travel allowance and not LTC. There are certain conditions on which these rules apply:
- No daily allowance will apply for any travel through LTC.
- Under LTC, reimbursement will be permitted only for travel in government or Corporation vehicles in the public sector.
- On local journeys, if any incidental expenses are incurred, these will not be reimbursed.
- In case certain journeys involve places at which public transport is absent, employees can avail reimbursement aligned with their right for transfer journeys. However, in such cases, the maximum expense will be covered for 100 Km of the journey. The employee will have to certify the claim themselves and then submit the same for reimbursement. As far as leave travel concession rules go, as per this regulation, all journeys beyond the distance of 100 Km in private vehicles will have to be borne by employees themselves.
- Under the new LTC rules, any travel made via Premium, Suvidha, or Premium Tatkal trains would be permitted. Charges for these fall within the purview of LTC.
- Furthermore, flexi fares which are applicable to travel on Rajdhani, Shatabdi, or Duronto railway trains are permitted under LTC.
Additional Read: Investment-Proof Submission Documents for Income Tax
Other News About Leave Travel Concession Regulations
As far as the latest on the 7th Pay Commission LTC rules go, the Union Budget of 2021 has made certain proposals. These are outlined below:
- There was a proposal to make an exemption for the cash scheme under LTC rules.
- Under the LTC cash voucher scheme, employees of the state government, private sector, and PSU employees could be eligible for IT exemption.
- For central government employees, the LTC rule would be applicable every 2 years instead of the earlier 4-year period.
The rules that were proposed have been implemented since.
Additional Read: 7Th Cpc Children Education Allowance
Concluding Words
Leave travel concession rules give a boost to central government employees and encourage a healthy work ethic. Such rules go a long way in expanding the employee pool of the central government and encourage employees to be disciplined regarding their leave and absence from the workplace. Moreover, with alterations to rules, employees’ demands and requests have been met, inspiring a sense of employer-employee harmony.
Additional Read: 7th Central Pay Commission Cpc Fitment Table
Frequently Asked Questions
The benefits of LTC rules bring advantages with regard to IT exemption under the LTC cash voucher scheme.
There have been some changes made regarding the lTC rules in the past few years, mainly through proposals in the 2021 Union Budget.
LTC is granted to employees for the purpose of travel to the employee’s hometown or to any other travel destination.
Additional Read: 7th Pay Commission: House Building Advance Interest Rate
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