Centre Government Allows Its Employees to Travel By Premium Trains Including Vande Bharat and Tejas While Availing LTC
The Central Government has issued a new directive allowing its employees to travel on Tejas, Vande Bharat, and Humsafar Express trains under the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) scheme. This move is aimed at offering them more convenient and faster travel options for visiting their hometowns or taking vacations to tourist destinations during their leave.
As per the order released this week, government employees can now utilize these premium train services in addition to the already covered Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto trains, subject to their travel entitlements.
The announcement was made by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) following numerous requests from government offices and employees. The DoPT collaborated with the Department of Expenditure to finalize the rules before issuing the order.
Under the LTC scheme, central government employees are reimbursed for round-trip travel expenses based on their rank and pay scale. While premium trains like the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto were already included in the scheme, newer trains such as the Tejas and Vande Bharat had not been covered until now.
“The matter has been reviewed by this department in consultation with the Department of Expenditure, and it has been decided that, in addition to the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto trains, government employees are now permitted to travel on Tejas Express, Vande Bharat Express, and Humsafar Express trains under the LTC scheme, as per their entitlement,” the DoPT order stated.
The LTC scheme is a key benefit for government employees, reimbursing travel expenses to their hometowns or any destination within India over a four-year block period. Employees and their family members can choose between two options: they can claim reimbursement for two trips to their hometown within a four-year block, split into two two-year periods, or opt for one trip to their hometown and one vacation to any destination in India during the same period.
