Leave Travel Concession - FAQ

Whether a Govt Servant completing his first year of service in the Grace Period of LTC Block is eligible for LTC ?

NO . CCS (LTC) Rule 7 specify that any Govt Servant who has put in one year of service on the date of journey in a BLOCK - not during the GRACE period - is entitled to LTC to Home Town or Anywhere in India , even if his total service is less than two years. ( Rule 10 )

Whether a Govt Servant can avail Home Town LTC on THREE occasions in a block of 4 years by surrendering his claim for Anywhere in India LTC ?

NO . LTC to visit Home Town by a Govt Servant with his family members is admissible only on TWO occasions during a block of four years.(Circular dt. 20.10.1997)

Whether reimbursement of entitled class by train against actual journey by Private Airlines is admissible ?

No. Claim for journey by Private Airline is not admissible at all in LTC Rules. NO claim is payable (even admissible train fare) if mode of travel itself is a NON PERMISSIBLE mode of travel. (Clarification (1) of DOPT Circular dt. 31.03.1999)

What is the LTC admissibility for Family residing at HOME Town of the employee and visiting to the HEADQUARTER of the Employee ?

LTC is admissible only for visiting HOMETOWN ( or Any Place in India) of the employee and NOT the HEADQUARTER of employee.(Rule 8/OM dt.11.06.1985)

How the LTC Claim is to be regulated when journey is performed by the shortest route BUT IN DIFFERENT CLASSES OF ACCOMMODATION by train ?

LTC Rule allows reimbursement for expenses of journey under LTC "only on the basis of a point-to-point journey on a through ticket over the shortest direct route". So if route is the shortest direct one,and train travel is in NOT in ENTITLED class, the method of PROPORTIONATE calculation of fare will apply . Actual fares in entitled classes for the direct shortest route shall be admissible.(Rule 13)

How the LTC claim is to be regulated when journey is performed by the LONGER ROUTE and also in DIFFERENT CLASSES OF ACCOMMODATION in train or by DIFFERENT MODE OF TRANSPORT?

LTC Rule allows reimbursement for expenses of journey under LTC "only on the basis of a point-to-point journey on a through ticket over the shortest direct route".The method of proportionate calculation is applicable since journey is performed by Longer Route,in different classes/ by different mode of transport.(Rule 13)

Whether a Govt Servant's wife - completing his first year of marriage in the Grace Period of LTC Block - is eligible for LTC ?

LTC during the GRACE period is admissible only to those who are ENTITLED to avail LTC in that particular block - must have completed one year of entitlement in that block.Since first year of marriage i.e. first year period ,entitling his wife for LTC is completing in Grace period- NOT in the LTC Block Period, LTC is NOT admissible in this case.(Rule 10)

Whether the "Emergency Passage Concession " en route to Home Town is available under LTC Rules to a person posted in N.E.Region?

LTC is only a concession to the employee and not treated as a journey in public interest hence NO special concession like "Emergency Passage Concession for employees posted in NE Region " is available in LTC Rules. 

Whether in case of Travel by non-entitle mode of travel ,reimbursement of entitled class by train against actual journey by Indian Airlines is admissible ?

Yes. LTC claim for journey by non-entitled mode of transport is to be restricted to the rail fare of the entitled class.Entitled class means the fare of the HIGHEST entitled class of accommodation by rail available on the particular route. (GIO(1) below SR 46) 

Who can avail LTC facility for an "ESCORT "?

LTC for an ESCORT is available ONLY to a Handicapped Employee and NOT to any of his/her family member.

Courtesy : http://ltcindia.in/FAQs.aspx

How to reap big benefits from small saving schemes

By Preeti Kulkarni, ET Bureau 

The interest rates of small saving schemes are linked to the yield of government bonds and revised every year. ET gives a ready reckoner of the current rates and features of these schemes.

POST OFFICE MONTHLY INCOME SCHEME

Interest rate offered: 8.4%

Lock-in period: Five years. Premature encashment allowed after one year, with deductions.

Tax benefits: None

Investment limit: Rs 1,500 to Rs 4.5 lakh in a single account and Rs 9 lakh in a joint account.

Pros: Suitable for those looking for a secure monthly income. Senior citizens can park a portion of their investments in this scheme.

Cons: Long lock-in period. Unlike bank FDs, this does not offer senior citizens a preferential rate of interest.



KISAN VIKAS PATRA*

Interest rate offered: 8.7%

Lock-in period: 100 months. Premature withdrawal two and a half years.

Tax benefits: None

Investment limit: Minimim Rs 1,000 and no maximum cap. Investments have to be made in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000.

Pros: An attractive and secure interest rate. Can be encashed after two and a half years. Transfer of instrument is permitted.

Cons: Interest earned is taxable, eating into post-tax returns. Other more remunerative instruments have an upper hand.



PUBLIC PROVIDENT FUND*

Interest rate offered: 8.7%

Lock-in period: 15 years. Partial withdrawals allowed from the seventh financial year. Loans can be sought from the third financial year.

Tax benefits: Deductions under Sec 80C for investments up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Investment limit : Rs 500 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Pros: Attractive, guaranteed and taxfree returns. The instrument is exempt from tax at investment, accumulation and maturity stages (EEE).

Cons: Largely illiquid due to the long lock-in tenure. Will not help meet short-term needs.



10-YEAR NATIONAL SAVINGS CERTIFICATE

Interest rate offered: 8.8%

Lock-in period: 10 years

Tax benefits: Deductions up to Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C.

Investment limit: Minimum Rs 100. No maximum limit. Investments have to be made in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

Pros: Easy to purchase and understand. Offers assured returns with tax benefits.

Cons: Interest earned is subject to tax on maturity. For senior citizens, not as lucrative as taxsaver bank fixed deposits.



SENIOR CITIZENS SAVINGS SCHEME*

Interest rate offered: 9.3%

Lock-in period: Five years. Premature closure allowed after one year and two years on deduction of 1.5% and 1% respectively of the deposit. Interest is paid out every quarter, offering liquidity during the lock-in period.

Tax benefits: Deduction under Section 80C for investments up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Investment limit : Rs 1,000 to Rs 15 lakh.

Pros: High, secure returns, with partial liquidity.

Cons: Locking away huge amounts could deprive senior citizens of funds for medical and other emergencies in the interim.



5 YEAR NATIONAL SAVINGS CERTIFICATE

Interest rate offered: 8.5%

Lock-in period: Five years

Tax benefits: Deductions up to Rs 1.5 lakh under Sec 80C.

Investment limit: Minimum Rs 100. No maximum limit. Investments have to be made in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

Pros: Easy to purchase and understand. Offers assured returns with tax benefits.

Cons: Interest earned is subject to tax on maturity. For senior citizens, not as lucrative as tax-saver fixed deposits from banks.



SUKANYA SAMRIDDHI YOJANA*

Interest rate offered: 9.2%

Lock-in period: Till the girl child turns 21. Partial withdrawal of up to 50% of the balance (as on last date of the preceding financial year) allowed after the girl turns 18 years old. Premature withdrawal of the entire balance permitted upon marriage of the girl after she turns 18.

Tax benefits: Deduction under Section 80C for investment up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Investment limit : Rs 1,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Pros: Offers high, tax-free and guaranteed returns. Ideal scheme for parents looking to build a corpus for the education of their girl child under 10.

Cons: Lengthy lock-in period. More illiquid than PPF.



FIVE-YEAR POST OFFICE TIME DEPOSITS#

Interest rate offered: 8.5%

Lock-in period: Five years

Tax benefits: Deduction up to Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C.

Investment limit : Minimum Rs 200. No maximum limit. Further investments have to be made in multiples of Rs 200.

Pros: Easy to understand, operate and invest in. Tax concessions.

Cons: Returns earned are taxable. Senior citizens can earn higher returns (9-9.25%) by investing in tax-saver FDs


*Apart from post offices, some banks also facilitate investments in these instruments

# You can also invest in five-year recurring deposits (8.4%) or fixed deposits with shorter tenures of between one to four years (8.4%). However, deposits with these tenures won't entitle you to tax benefits

Source :The Economic Times

Area calculation and Measurement Chart .

Area calculation and Measurement Chart .

1 hectare = 2 acre 47 cent
1 hectare = 10,000 sq.m.
1 acre = 0.405 hectare
1 acre = 4046.82 sq.m.
1 acre = 43,560 sq.ft.
1 acre = 100 cent = 4840 sq.gejam
1 cent = 435.6 sq.ft.
1 cent = 40.5 sq.m
1 ground = 222.96 sq.m. = 5.5 cent
1 ground = 2400 sq.ft.
1 Veesam = 6*6 sq ft = 36 sq.ft.
1 Kuzhi = 4 Veesams
1 Kuzhi = 12×12 sqfts
1 Kuzhi = 0.331 cents
1 Kāni = 400 kuzhis
1 acre = 436 kuzhi
1 ankanam = 8 Sq. yard/72 Sq. Feet
1 Mā = 100 kuzhi = 10000 sq.ft. (Not 10000 sq.ft. but 14400 sq.ft When 1 Kuzhi = 144 sq.ft)
1 Kāni = 4 Mā = 40000 sq.ft. (Not 40000 sq.ft. but 57600 sq.ft)
1 kāni = 132 cents = 1.32 acre
1 acre = 75.625 kuzhi
1 Veļi = 7 kāni = 6.43 acres = 2.6 hectares ( 1 Veli = 20 Ma = 5 kani only not 7 kani)
1 dismil =2.5 cent
1 furlong = 660 feet = 220 kejam
1 kilometre = 5 furlong
1 link / chain = 0.66 foot = 7.92 inch
1 kejam = 9.075 sq.ft.
1 mile = 8 furlong
1 ares = 1076 sq.ft. = 2.47 cent
1 chain = 22 kejam
1 furlong = 10 chain
1 kejam = 0.9144 metre
1 township = 36 sq.mile
1 sq.mile = 640 acre
1 cent = 48.4 sq.kejam

LTC Claims – Need for observing prescribed procedures

LTC Claims – Need for observing prescribed procedures

G.I., Dept. of Pers. & Trg., O.M.F.No.31011/3/2015-Estt (A-IV), dated 01.04.2015

Subject:- LTC Claims – Need for observing prescribed procedures

This Department receives a large number of recommendations for relaxation of some or the other provision of the Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988, (hereinafter referred to as LTC Rules), in individual cases. It is seen that, in most cases the situation arises are due care had not been exercised by the Government servant and/or the administrative authority in claiming LTC or in examination.

2.The references mainly relate to:

a) Late submission of claims;

b) Booking of air tickets through an agency not authorized by the Government for this purpose;

c)Travel by private vehicles; and

d)Claims for wrong block of years.

3.In this connection it may please be noted that the primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with the rules is that of the Government servant. The of-repeated plea of ignorance of rules cannot be a valid ground for relaxation of rules. At the same time it has also been noticed that the administrative authorities have also shown laxity and due diligence on their part could have prevented such situations from arising.

4.Late Submission of Claim

4.1 In terms of Rules 14 and 15(vi) of LTC Rules, the time limit for submission of LTC claim is :

i) Within three months of completion of return journey, if no advance is drawn;

ii) Within one month of completion of return journey, if advance is drawn.

Powers have been delegated, as under, to the Ministries/Departments to relax these limits with the concurrence of the Financial Advisor.

a) Upto 6 months, if no advance is drawn;

b) Upto 3 months if advance is drawn, provided the Government servant refunds the entire amount of advance (not merely the unutilized portion) within 45 days of completion of return journey.

4.2 As per Rule 12(a) of the “Compendium of Rules on Advances to Government Servants”, it is the responsibility of the Head of Office to effect recovery of advances and also to see that the conditions attached to each advance are fulfilled. The Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) is required to keep a watch on the advances and furnish monthly statements to the AP&AO. In addition, the DDO is also required to adjust all outstanding short term advances at the close of financial year.

5.Booking of air tickets through agents other than Government approved agents

5.1 Government servants travelling by air under LTC are required to book their tickets either directly from the airline or through the approved agencies viz: M/s Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd/ M/s Ashok Tours & Travels Ltd/IRCTC. Booking through any other agency is not permissible.

6. Travel by private vehicles.

6.1 As per LTC rules, a Government servant may travel only by vehicles operated by Central/State Government or local bodies or by any corporation in the public sector owned/controlled by Central/State Government. Journey on LTC by taxi, auto-rickshaw etc, are permissible only between places not connected by rail. This is further subject to the condition that these modes operate on a regular basis from point to point with the specific approval of the State Governments/transport authorities concerned and are authorized to ply as public carriers.

7. Claims for wrong block of years

7.1 Whenever a Government servant applies for LTC advance, the administrative authority is required to verify from the service book and certify the entitlement of the Government servant. Cases of the type mentioned in para 2(d) would not arise, if this is properly done.

8. LTC Rules also provide that a government servant who has been granted LTC Advance is required to submit copies of the tickets within 10 days of drawal of advance. The administrative authority can at this stage itself check the date of commencement of journey; whether ticket has been booked direct from airline or through approved agency etc. Any discrepancy can be brought to the notice of the government servant so that he can take remedial action, if needed.

9. Even in cases where advance is not drawn, the Government servant is required to give prior intimation of his intention to avail LTC. The administrative authority can check the details indicated especially w.r.t entitlement. A watch can also be kept to ensure timely submission of claims.

10. All Ministries/Departments are requested to bring the contents to this O.M. to the notice of all concerned. It may also be noted that requests for relaxation of rules shall be considered by this Department only if it is established that the deviation is due to reasons beyond the control of the Government servant and there has been no laxity on the part of the administrative authorities concerned.

SIGNATURE SCANNING SOFTWARE FOR SSA

Procedure To Install

• Download attached Scanner from PoTools.
• Paste the same into SSScanner File Folder.
• Create Shortcut into your desktop.

Scanning Procedure

1. Connect WebCamera before Execute the Scanner Tool.
2. Select Scheme and enter Account Number and then click Scan.
3. After Finished scanning process you can store scanned signature into database using Sanchay Post.

Goto Sanchay Post Supervisor > Common > Signature Scanning > select Scheme as SSA. 

• Click on Verify.
• Click on Store (Exist / New) then press Enter.

Login ID / Password : Admin

Download

Source : http://potools.blogspot.in

POST OFFICE FORMS - GOOGLE DRIVE DOWNLOAD LINK

POST OFFICE FORMS - GOOGLE DRIVE DOWNLOAD LINK

Written By Admin on April 6, 2015 | Monday, April 06, 2015

All Forms for Head Post Office : Download

All Forms for Sub Post Office : Download

All Forms for Branch Post Office : Download

All Forms for Divisional Office : Download

Courtesy : http://potools.blogspot.in/

NEW POSTAL HOLIDAY HOME AT PONDICHERRY

A new Postal Holiday Home will start functioning at Pondicherry with effect from 01.04.15. The address of the Holiday Home is: 

10/11, Paradise Apartment, Venkata Nagar, Pondicherry - 605011

The controlling officer is SSPOs, Pondicherry Division, Pondicherry 605001. Tel: 0413-2344877. 

The Holiday Home has 2 Suites with 2 beds in each.

PMG (CCR)

Chennai 600002

Source :  http://indiapost.gov.in/DOP/Pdf/Circulars/HH_PONDICHERRY.pdf