Image Source : PTI Vande Bharat Express
This is big news for central government employees, as they can now travel on Tejas, Vande Bharat, and Humsafar express trains under the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) scheme. The decision was announced by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday after receiving requests from different offices and individuals. The DoPT, in a statement, said it worked with the Department of Expenditure to review the rules.
The DoPT in the order said the matter was examined by this department in consultation with the Department of Expenditure and it has been decided that apart from existing Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains, travel by Tejas Express, Vande Bharat Express & Humsafar Express trains under LTC as per the entitlement of the government employees has now been allowed.
As per the new rules, the Central government employees can now use these premium trains in addition to the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto trains, based on their travel entitlement.
As part of the LTC scheme, eligible Central government employees get their ticket costs reimbursed for round trips and also enjoy paid leave during their travel.
What is LTC?
The Central government employees must be knowing that the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) is a travel allowance scheme prepared for government employees, allowing them to visit their hometown or any destination within India over a four-year block period.
As part of the scheme’s provisions, government employees can choose between two options:
Avail Home Town LTC twice within a four-year block, split into two two-year periods.
They can visit their hometown once in a two-year period and explore any place in India during the other two-year period.
The Centre now covers the travel expenses for the employee and their eligible family members under this scheme. Moreover, the employees and their families can travel in separate groups at different times during the block period. They may also choose different destinations while using the Any Place in India LTC option.
List of trains that can be used under LTC
Earlier, the LTC programme covered travel on premium trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto. Now the LTC scheme can cover Tejas, Vande Bharat, and Humsafar express.
