Decoded: How UPS is better than old pension schemes for govt employees
The Central government has introduced a new pension scheme, the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) which will come into effect from April 1, 2025.
Central government employees found misusing Leave Travel Concession (LTC) will face disciplinary action, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has warned.
A government employee gets reimbursement of tickets for to-and-fro journey, in addition to leaves, when he avails LTC.
As per fresh guidelines by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the employees are required to submit a declaration that he and the members of the family in respect of whom the claim is submitted have indeed travelled upto the declared place of visit.
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The declaration is required in the cases where a government servant travels on LTC up to the nearest airport, railway station or bus terminal by authorised mode of transport and undertakes rest of the journey to the declared place of visit by private transport or own arrangement (such as personal vehicle or private taxi etc.).
"Furnishing of false information will attract disciplinary action," the DoPT said in a directive issued to secretaries of all central government departments.
The Centre is trying to put a strict system in place to check misuse of LTC after it had noticed certain instances where some of its employees allegedly colluded with private travel agents to submit inflated airfare to clandestinely obtain undue benefits like free boarding, lodging, transport or cash refunds.
"If public transport is available in a particular area, the government servant will be reimbursed the fare admissible for journey by otherwise entitled mode of public transport from the nearest airport, railway station or bus terminal to the declared place of visit by shortest direct route," it said.
In case, there is no public transport available in a particular stretch of journey, the government servant may be reimbursed as per his entitlement for journey on transfer for a maximum limit of 100 kms covered by the private or personal transport based on a self-certification from the government servant, the DoPT said. Beyond that, the expenditure shall be borne by the employee himself.
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