Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Leave Travel Concession (LTC) to Fresh CG Employees

Frequently Asked Questions on LTC entitlements of Fresh Recruit

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Leave Travel Concession entitlements of Fresh Recruit

The 6th CPC had recommended that “Fresh Recruits” to the Central Government may 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 was accepted by the Government and orders were issued vide DoPT O.M. No. 31011/4/2008-Estt.(A) dated 23rd September, 2008.

This Department receives a number of references seeking clarifications from various Ministry/ Departments about the year wise LTC entitlements of Fresh Recruits. Based on the same, a set of frequently asked questions have been answered as under:

Question 1. What are the LTC entitlements of a Fresh Recruit?
Answer: Fresh recruits to the Central Government are 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 fresh recruits only for the first two blocks of four years applicable after joining the Government for the first time.

Question 2. How are the two blocks of four years applied to the Fresh Recruit?
Answer: The first two blocks of four years shall apply with reference to the initial date of joining the Government service even though the Govt. servant may change the job within the Government subsequently. However, as per Rule 7 of CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988, the LTC entitlement of a fresh recruit will be calculated calendar year wise with effect from the date of completion of one year of regular service.

Question 3. Are the LTC blocks of four years in respect of Fresh Recruits same as the regular blocks like 2010-13, 2014-17?
Answer: No. The first two blocks of four years of fresh recruits will be personal to them. On completion of eight year of LTC, they will be treated at par with other regular LTC beneficiaries as per the prescribed blocks like 2014-17, 2018-21 etc.

Question 4. If a fresh recruit does not avail LTC facility in a particular year, can he/she avail it in the next year?
Answer: No. Carryover of LTC to the next year is not allowed in case of a fresh recruit as he is already entitled to every year LTC. Hence, if a fresh recruit does not avail of the LTC facility in any year, his LTC will deem to have lapsed with the end of that year.

Question 5. How will the LTC entitlements of a Fresh Recruit be exercised after the completion of eight years of service?
Answer: (a) After the completion of eight years of service, when the next LTC cycle of fresh recruit coincides with the beginning of the second two year block (eg. 2016-17) of the running four year block (2014-17), he will be eligible only for ‘Home Town’ LTC if he/she has availed ‘Any Place in India’ LTC in the eighth year. Cases, where the new LTC cycle of fresh recruit coincides with the second year of the running two year block (ex. 2017 of 2016-2017), he will not be eligible for LTC in that year. Refer illustrations 1 & 3 for further explanation. (b) At the end of the eighth year of LTC, when the new LTC cycle of a fresh recruit coincides with the beginning of a regular four year block, his entitlement in the regular block will be exercised as per the usual LTC Rules. Refer illustration 2.

Question 6. How will the LTC entitlement computed in case of a fresh recruit joining the service on 31st December of any year?
Answer: A fresh recruit who joins the Government service on 31st December of any year, will be eligible for LTC w.e.f. 31st December of next year. Since, 31st December is the last date of a calendar year, his first occasion of LTC ends with that year. Hence, he may avail his first Home Town LTC on the last day of that year. From next year onwards he would be eligible for the remaining seven LTCs. Refer illustration 3.

Question 7. How will the entitlements of a fresh recruit be computed who has joined the Govt. service before 01.09.2008?
Answer: A fresh recruit who has joined Government service before 01.09.2008 (i.e before the introduction of this scheme) and has not completed his first eight years of service as on 01.09.2008 will be eligible for this concession for the remaining time-period till the completion of first eight years of his/ her service. Refer illustration 4.

Question 8. Can a fresh recruit whose Home Town and Headquarters are same, avail LTC to Home Town?
Answer: No. A fresh recruit whose Home Town and Headquarters are same, cannot avail LTC to Home Town. He may avail LTC to any place in India on the fourth and eighth occasion only. As per Rule 8 of CCS (LTC) Rules, 1988, LTC to Home Town shall be admissible irrespective of the distance between the Headquarters of the Govt. servant and his Home Town which implies that Headquarters and Home Town should be at different places.

Illustration
Illustration 1:

An employee joins the Government service on 1st September, 2008. As per the CCS (LTC) Rules, he will become eligible for LTC with effect from 1st September, 2009 (i.e. after the completion of one year of regular service). His entitlement for Home Town / All India would be as under:

Explanation
1.After the completion of the first eight years, when the fresh recruit gets into the middle of the running regular block of four calendar years (ex. 2014-2017) where the new LTC cycle of fresh recruit coincides with the second year of the running two year block (ex. 2017 of 2016-2017), he will not be eligible for LTC in that year (i.e. 2017).

2.It can be seen from above that LTC entitlement for a fresh recruit is calculated calendar year wise with effect from the date of completion of one year of regular service.

Illustration 2:

An employee joins the Government service on 1st January, 2009. As per the CCS (LTC) Rules, he will become eligible for LTC with effect from 1st January, 2010 (i.e. after the completion of one year of regular service). His entitlement for Home Town / All India LTC would be as under:

Explanations:

1.A the end of the eighth year of LTC, when the new LTC cycle of a fresh recruit coincides with the beginning of a regular four year block, his entitlement in the regular block will be exercised as per the usual LTC Rules.Explanations:

Illustration 3:

An employee joins the Government service on 31st December, 2011. As per the CCS (LTC) Rules, he will become eligible for LTC with effect from 31st December, 2012 (i.e. after completion of one year of regular service). His entitlement for Home Town / All India LTC would be as under:

Explanations:

i. A fresh recruit who joins on 31st December of any year, will be eligible for LTC w.e.f. 31st December of next year. Since, 31st December is the last date of that calendar year, his first occasion of LTC ends with that year. Hence, he may avail his first home town LTC on that day only (eg. 31st December, 2012). From next year onwards he will be eligible for the remaining seven LTCs.

ii. After the completion of eight years of service, when the next LTC cycle of fresh recruit coincides with the beginning of the second two year block (eg. 2020-21) of the running four year block (2018-21), he will be eligible only for the ‘Home Town’ LTC in that block if he has availed of ‘Any Place in India’ LTC in the eighth year. In case, the fresh recruit forgoes his eighth year LTC, then he has a choice to avail either ‘Any Place in India’ or ‘Home Town’ LTC in the following two year block (i.e. in 2020-21).

Illustration 4:

An employee joins the Government service on 10th May, 2006. As per the CCS (LTC) Rules, he will become eligible for LTC with effect from 10th May, 2007 (i.e. after the completion of one year of regular service). His entitlement for Home Town / All India LTC would be as under

Explanations:

A fresh recruit who has joined the Government service before 01.09.2008 (i.e. before the introduction of this scheme) and has not completed his first eight years of service as on 01.09.2008 will be eligible for this concession for the remaining time-period till the completion of first eight years of his/ her service