Introduction
Leave Travel Concession (LTC) is presently available to all persons appointed to Civil Services and posts including civilians in the defence services and members of All India Services serving in Central Government. Employees with one year of continuous service on the date of journey performed by them/their family are eligible. Railway employees and Government employees whose spouse is working in Indian Railways/National airlines are not eligible for LTC as they are entitled for free rail/air passes from their respective organisations. Under the LTC scheme, a Government employee and his/her family can travel to the declared home town once in a period of two calendar years. Journey on LTC can also be performed to any place in India in lieu of one of the two journeys to Home Town in a block of 4 years. The employees have the option of availing LTC to home town once every year. In that case they are not entitled to LTC to anywhere in India. 
Demands
The Commission has received a large number of demands relating to LTC. Most of these demands seek an increase in the frequency of LTC or facility of travel anywhere in the world at least once in the entire career under the scheme or encashment of LTC.
Analysis of demands
The scheme of LTC was introduced to enable Central Government employees to discharge their social obligations at their home town as well as to acquaint themselves with different regions and cultures in the country. The facility was never intended as a supplement to the pay. The issue of encashment of LTC was also considered by the Fifth CPC who negated the demand for giving cash compensation in lieu of LTC. This Commission endorses the view of the Fifth Central Pay Commission. Accordingly, the demand for paying cash compensation in lieu of LTC cannot be accepted.
The demand for allowing travel abroad at least once in the entire career under the scheme is not in consonance with the basic objective of the scheme. The Government employee cannot gain any perspective of the Indian culture by traveling abroad. Besides, the attendant cost in foreign travel would also make the expenditure under this scheme much higher. The Commission is, therefore, not inclined to concede the demand to allow foreign travel under LTC.
As regards the frequency of travel allowed under LTC, it is noted that an employee having his/her family at home town can avail of this concession for self alone every year instead of availing it for both himself/herself and family once in two years. The benefit of LTC to any place in India is also not available in this case. While this provision allows the employee to travel to meet the family every year, it curtails the facility for the family members who cannot make use of this benefit at all. The Fifth CPC had recommended that Government employees who are posted outside their home town should be given an option to avail of the concession to travel to their home town on three occasions in a block of four years by surrendering their claim to the all India LTC. The Government, however, has not implemented this recommendation. The Commission is of the view that the problem of traveling to home town is more acute for young officials as at that time the requirement to visit home town is higher and also the salaries are not sufficiently high to permit even annual travel on their own cost to their home town. Clearly, a more liberal LTC package needs to be given to the officers during their early career in the Government. The Commission, accordingly, recommends that Central Government employees should be allowed to travel to their home town along with their families on three occasions in a block of four years and to any place in India on the fourth occasion. This facility shall be available to the Government officers only for the first two blocks of four years applicable after joining the Government for the first time. The blocs of 4 years shall apply with reference to the initial date of joining the Government even though the employee changes the job within Government subsequently. The existing blocks will remain the same but the entitlements of the new recruit will be different in the first eight years of service. All other provisions concerning frequency of travel under LTC are proposed to be retained.
Recommendations
Presently, entitlements for class travel under LTC are slightly more strict vis-à-vis the travel entitlements during official tours and transfer. The Commission is of the view that travel entitlements under LTC should also be same as those on official tour and transfer. It is, therefore, recommended that travel entitlements, whether for the purpose of official tour/transfer or LTC, should be same but no daily allowance shall be payable for travel on LTC. Further, the facility shall be admissible only in respect of journeys performed in vehicles operated by the Government or any Corporation in the public sector run by the Central or State Government or a local body.
Presently, the definition of family for the purposes of LTC includes parents and/or stepmother residing with and wholly dependent on the Government employee. Stepfathers residing with and wholly dependent on the Government employee are denied the benefit available to similarly placed stepmothers. The definition also places an unreasonable restriction in such of those cases where parents, despite not having any source of income and being totally dependent on the Government employees, continue to live in the native place. The parents in such cases are denied the option to travel to the place of posting of the Government official under LTC. The Commission, therefore, recommends that parents and/or step parents (stepmother and stepfather) who are wholly dependent on the Government employee shall be included in the definition of family for the purpose of LTC irrespective of whether they are residing with the Government employee or not. The definition of dependency is being linked to the minimum family pension for all purposes. Accordingly, all parents and/or step parents whose total income from all sources is less than the minimum family pension prescribed in Central Government and dearness relief thereon would be included in the definition of family for this purpose. The extant conditions in respect of other relations included in the family including married /divorced /abandoned /separated /widowed daughters shall continue without any change.
Recommendations for defraying incidentals
Another demand frequently made concerns defraying the incidental expenses during LTC. The Fifth CPC had considered the issue and recommended encashment of Earned Leave of 10 days along with LTC subject to a maximum of 60 days in the entire career. The Earned Leave so encashed during LTC was, however, deductible from the maximum limit of Earned Leave encashable at the time of retirement. The recommendation was accepted by the Government but has not been of much use to the Government employees as any prudent employee would like to preserve the maximum available encashment for their retirement. Many employees, especially those belonging to Group C and D, are loath to utilize the benefit of LTC because they are unable to bear the incidental expenses involved on travel. This is not justified. The Commission would like to rectify this situation. It is, accordingly, recommended that while encashment of Earned Leave upto 10 days along with LTC to the extent of total of 60 days may be continued, the leave encashed at the time of availing LTC should not be deducted from the maximum amount of Earned Leave encashable at the time of retirement. Consequently, the employees would be eligible to encash 300 days of Earned Leave at the time of their retirement, even though they may have encashed Earned Leave of upto 60 days during their career while availing LTC, whether to their home town or to any place in India. Insofar as Railways is concerned, the employees shall be allowed to avail of this encashment at the time of availing of passes for a maximum of 60 days in the entire career subject to the condition that successive encashment cannot be made before a minimum period of two years has elapsed.
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