7th Pay Commission Recommendations on LTC Rules : Leave Travel Concession (LTC)
LTC is granted to Central Government employees to facilitate home travel as well as travel to different parts of the country. Presently two hometown visits are allowed in a block of four years with one hometown visit substitutable with “All India” visit. However, for the first two 4-year blocks, three hometown visits and one “All India” visit are permissible. LTC is not granted to an employee whose spouse is working in Indian Railways.
There are demands to increase the frequency of LTC, especially of the “All India” visit, and extend LTC to foreign countries also. Personnel posted on islands have requested the Commission that splitting of hometown LTC may be permitted so that their families can visit them from the mainland once a year and they (the employees) can also travel to the mainland once a year to visit the family. Personnel of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have sought parity with other CAPFs for facility of Additional LTC. Railway employees have strongly represented that there are many places that are not connected by rail and in absence of LTC, they are not able to visit these places. Hence they should be allowed the facility of LTC in lieu of certain number of their free passes. Similar sentiments have also been expressed by employees whose spouses are Railway employees.
Analysis and Recommendations : Extension of LTC to foreign countries is not in the ambit of this Commission.
The proposal to split hometown LTC has merit and can be considered. Hence, it is recommended that splitting of hometown LTC should be allowed in case of employees posted in North East, Ladakh and Island territories of Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep. This will enable these employee and their families to meet more often.
Presently, personnel of Defence forces serving in field/high altitude/CI Ops areas are granted one additional free railway warrant. This should be extended to all personnel of CAPFs and the Indian Coast Guard mutatis mutandis.
The facility of Additional LTC should be extended to SSB personnel, at par with other CAPFs.
Regarding bringing Railway employees (and employees whose spouses are Railway servants) into the fold of LTC, the following is recommended:
a. No hometown LTC will be admissible to Railway employees, only “All India” LTC will be granted once in four years.
b. For the grant of LTC, all passes for the current year will have to be surrendered.
c. If the employee has already availed of a pass in any year, then LTC will not be allowed in that year.
d. If both spouses are Railway servants, then surrender of passes of any one of them will suffice.
e. For the purposes of this allowance, year means Calendar year.