Central government employees must request reimbursement for their Leave Travel Concession (LTC) within six months, provided they haven’t availed any advance.
If they’ve taken an advance, they need to repay the entire amount within three months, and interest will be charged.
“If an advance is taken, you have up to three months to repay the entire advance amount. It’s crucial to repay the total amount in one lump sum, and interest will be charged on the entire advance from the withdrawal date to the repayment date,” a business daily quoted a report by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.
According to a memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) recently, ministries, departments, and attached offices, with approval from the Head of Department, are now authorised to process LTC reimbursement claims without explicit approval from the DoPT.
The memorandum also stressed on strict adherence to the specified timeline in such cases.
These conditions are relevant when employees fail to submit claims within the stipulated time frames outlined in rules 14 and 15 of CCS(LTC) Rules, 1988.
The memorandum also added that relevant ministries or departments should be convinced of the employee’s genuine inability to adhere to the timelines due to circumstances beyond their control.
Additionally, the Office Memorandum, issued in October by the DoPT, sheds light on the revised procedure for booking flight tickets through authorised travel agents for LTC.
Designated agencies such as Balmer Lawrie & Company Limited (BLCL), Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT), and Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) must display information about conveyance with the lowest fare and those with fares only marginally higher (10%) than the cheapest fare.
This documentation will validate that the booked tickets align with the specified guidelines, ensuring transparency and compliance in the LTC reimbursement process for central government employees.
