7th Pay Commission: Some good news at last, here is what it is

There has been some good news on 7th Pay Commission. With the financial year coming to an end, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said that Railway employees can now avail Leave Travel Concession (LTC). The ministry cited the recommendations of the pay panel while making this announcement.

"The matter has been considered in this department in consultation with Ministry of Railways. It has been decided that Railway employees may be allowed to avail all-India LTC once in a block of four years," the ministry said.

"The 'All-India LTC' will be purely optional for Railway employees. As per existing LTC instructions, government servants and their spouses, working in Indian Railways, are not entitled to the facility of LTC as the facility of "Free Pass" is available to them. The 7th Pay Commission had recommended that they are included in the LTC fold.

The ministry also added that Railway employees would, however, continue to be governed by the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules and availing of the "All India LTC" under the CCS (LTC) Rules by them will be facilitated through a special order under the relevant provision of the said Pass Rules.

According to reports, the DoPT order states that railway employees will not be eligible for "Home Town LTC" and will have to surrender the Privilege Passes (concessional or free tickets) admissible to them in the calendar year in which they intend to avail the LTC facility.

The Railway employees would continue to be eligible for other kinds of passes such as the duty pass, school pass and special passes on medical grounds, as admissible under the pass rules, the order also stated.

If a Railways employee has already availed of a Privilege Pass, then LTC will not be allowed in that year. An Indian Railway employee on deputation to any other organisation, including railway PSUs will also continue to be eligible for the option LTC in lieu of the privilege pass entitlement.

OneIndia News