Central govt officers need not submit boarding pass to claim TA

Central Government officers will not have to submit boarding passes to claim travel allowance (TA) for official tours undertaken by them.

In a circular, the Department of Personal & Training (DoPT) said that difficulties had been expressed by various quarters in producing original boarding passes along with TA claims from time to time.

“The matter has been considered and it has been decided with the approval of the competent authority that in order to simplify the procedure of settlement of TA claims, the condition of submission of boarding pass along with settlement of TA claim is dispensed with,” it said.

However, there is a rider. The officer concerned will have to give an undertaking, along with TA claim, that the journey, as mentioned therein, has actually been performed by him or her. However, if there is extreme doubt, the controlling officer may be asked to verify the genuineness of the claim, the circular said.

The circular also talked about purchasing air tickets only from the authorised travel agents of the department, ie, Balmer Lawrie, and at the cheapest rates after comparing the available fare from the websites of travel agents of repute.

“If cheaper rates are available directly from Air India, the same can also be bought,” it said, adding that the frequent flyer reward points from Air India may only be redeemed for official tours of the department.

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