Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Research and Development) New Delhi has compiled frequently asked questions on various service matters such as MACP, TA, DA, LTC, GPF, Children Education Allowance etc.   Though some of the queries covered here are department specific, we find that these Questions and Answers would be much useful for day to day operations of these service schemes.

General/Establishment matters

Q. What is the validity of Government cheque?

Ans. RBI cheque is valid for three months excluding the month of issue.

Q. How can Government employee can add name of spouse/children in his/her service book?

Ans. A Government employee can add name of spouse/children by submission of revised family details.

Q. Is Child Care Leave (CCL) admissible when EL is at credit of individual?

Ans. Yes

Q. What is the maximum limit of CCL?  Can it be availed in parts?

Ans. Maximum 730 days of CCL can be availed during entire service. Yes, CCL can be availed in parts.  Minimum spell should be 15 days and not more than 3 spells in a year

Q. Being a fresh appointee, how can a Government employee can apply for his  PRAN number?

Ans. A Government servant, who has joined after 01/01/2004 will have to submit prescribed application form for PRAN number along with passport photographs (in triplicate).

Q. What is the procedure for drawing pay through ECS?

Ans. An employee who wants to draw pay through ECS may submit an application along with copy of a cheque which contains Account number, MICR No and IFSC code of the bank.

Q. What is the process of payment of pension?

Ans. On retirement/death, the concerned office of the pensioner prepares case for payment of retirement benefits and forwards to PCDA(R&D) (or its sub office).  PCDA(R&D) verifies the retirement benefits and forwards the papers to PCDA(Pensions) Allahabad.  PCDA(Pensions) after verification sends a copy of Pension Payment Order to the bank/DPDO and payment of pension starts.

Q. How the pension contribution of the new entrants who joined service on or after 1.1.04 is accounted for?

Ans. PCDA(R&D) or its sub offices issues consolidated cheque for the amount deducted towards NPS and also Govt. contribution in favour of the Trustee Bank after uploading their details (e.g. PRAN No., contribution for the month based on Salary etc.) to the NSDL website.

Q. What is the procedure for payment of pay and allowances if LPC is not  received?

Ans: The pay and allowances shall be released provisionally .

Q. Is transport allowance admissible in all the cases?

Ans: No. Transport allowance is not admissible to a person who has been provided with Government vehicle and also to the person who remains absent for whole month..

Q. How pension and gratuity of a deceased employee are calculated?

Ans: Pension and gratuity are calculated on the basis of last pay drawn and length of qualifying service.

Q. What is the maximum percentage of pension which can be commuted?

Ans: Not exceeding 40% of pension can be commuted.

Q. How many financial upgradation can be granted under MACP Scheme?

Ans:Three. There should be gap of ten years from the date of last promotion.

Q. To whom MACP is granted and under what conditions?

Ans: MACP can be granted to a person who has not been promoted during the last ten years.

Q. If a person, who has been granted MACP, gets promotion, how his pay will be fixed?

Ans: A person who has been granted MACP gets promotion his grade pay will be changed.

Q. What action is expected if an employee does not file income tax statement to his DDO?

Ans: In such cases the income tax due will be recovered by calculating on salary drawn by him.

Q. If an employee is sanctioned EOL, what will be its impact on qualifying service?

Ans: The EOL sanctioned without medical certificate will be treated as non qualifying service.

Q . If an employee remains on HPL what will be due to him on account of pay and allowances?

Ans: His pay will be calculated at half the rate.(BP+GP+DA) and HRA & TPT allowance will be calculated as per prevailing rates.

Q. If an officer desires to draw second advance for purchasing second car after clearance of first demand. How much amount he can be paid?

Ans: He can be paid Rs 1.6 lakh or 8 months pay (basic plus grade pay) or anticipated cost of the car which ever is less.

TA/DA LTC

Q. What is the quantum of encashment of leave on LTC?

Ans. While availing LTC, Government servants can encash 10 days EL at a time subject to maximum of 60 days during entire service.

Q. Whether encashment can be availed during Casual Leave?

Ans. Yes.

Q. Whether Air Tickets can be booked through private agents on TA/DA&LTC

Ans. No, as per para 3(viii) of MOF, Dept. of Exp. OM No. 19024/1/E-IV/2005 dt. 24.3.06 wherever officer seeks to utilize the service of travel agents, it should be limited to M/s Balmer Lawrie & Com. and M/s Ashoka Tours & Travels.

Q. Whether the services of other Air lines can be availed during TA/DA&LTC, where the stations are not connected by Air India.

Ans. For travel to stations not connected by Air India the officials may travel by Air India to the point closest to their eventual destination, beyond which they may utilize the services of another airlines.

Q. What is the minimum service for availing LTC?

Ans: Government servant who have completed one year of continuous service on the date of journey can avail this concession.

Q. Whether LTC can be availed during week-end or holidays alone?

Ans: No, the concession can be availed during regular/casual/special casual leave or vacation.

Q. When both husband and wife are government servants, can they declare separate home town independently?

Ans: Yes.

Q. Whether a Government employee can travel by longer route?

Ans: Yes, however reimbursement for his/her journey will be restricted to shortest direct route.

Q. Whether LTC can be availed during study leave?

Ans: Yes, however reimbursement of fare should be restricted to the fare admissible for travel between his headquarters station to any place in India/home town or actual expenditure, whichever is less.

Q. Whether LTC can be availed under suspension?

Ans: No, Government servant under suspension cannot avail of LTC as he/she cannot get any leave including casual leave during the period of suspension; however his family is entitled to LTC.

Q. What is the entitlement of fresh recruits?

Ans: Fresh recruits of Central government may be allowed to travel to their home town 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 blocks 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.

Q. Whether a Government servant appointed before 23-09-2008 but not completed first eight years of service is eligible for four LTC as mentioned in VI CPC?

Ans: The Government servant who have not completed 8 years of service as on 01-09-2008 are entitled for this concession as per their entitlement. There is no change in block years.

Q. Home town of an employee is connected by train but is not directly connected by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express trains. In such a case, can the employee be entitled to travel partly by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express trains and partly by other trains?

Ans: Yes, If the journey is actually performed by Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains up to an en route railway station by direct shortest route and thereafter the journey is completed in a train other than Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains, fare for both the types of trains by the entitled class would be admissible for the respective portion of journey.

Q. If the originating and terminating points fall on the routes of Rajdhani/shatabdi express trains but these trains do not halt at these stations, can an employee travel by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express?

Ans: The employee can travel by Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express up to the nearest en route station which should not be beyond the destination i.e., Home town or the declare place of visit.

Q. If a  Government employee/his family member is entitled to concessional train fare such as senior citizen, student concession, children, etc., whether in case of air travel, the reimbursement would be restricted to such concessional fare by train in entitled class?

Ans: If full air fare has been charged by the airlines and paid by the Government servant, the reimbursement would be restricted to the full train fare in entitled class including Rajdhani/shatabdi.

Q.  If a Government servant drawing grade pay Rs. 10,000 and above can claim for reimbursement of Air travel by executive class on LTC?

Ans: No, reimbursement of the expenses on air travel while availing of LTC will be restricted to the cost of travel by the economy class, irrespective of entitlement.

Q. Whether DA is admissible on Sunday, holiday, casual leave and RH to Government Servant on temporary duty at out station?

Ans:       1. Government servant availing  CL or RH while on tour is not entitled to draw DA.

2. DA is not admissible for any day whether sunday or holiday unless the officer is actually

                  and  not merely constructively in camp.

Q. How mileage allowance is admissible when journey on tour is performed by longer route by rail partly by lower class and partly by the entitled class?

Ans: In such case claim shall be regulated on proportionate basis, by calculating mileage allowance for different modes/ classes by the shortest route in the ration of distance covered by such modes/ classes by the longer actually used route.

Q. Is TATKAL SEVA charges reimbursable?

Ans: Yes

Q. Whether DA to Government servant on tour returning to Headquarters daily is admissible?

Ans: Yes, a Government servant who returns to his Hqrs while on tour at outstation due to non availability of proper accommodation etc to suite his convenience, may draw DA at the rate applicable at temporary duty station, but on intervening Sundays and holidays no DA will be admissible.

Q. Whether hotel/ guest house should be registered/ recognised?

Ans: For any hotel the Government servant must have stayed in registered/ licensed as a hotel by proper authority.

Q. Whether cash receipt/ cash memo will be mandatory in support of the claims?

Ans: Yes actual expenditure incurred within the prescribed limit will be reimbursed as per normal procedure.

General Provident Fund

Q. What is the procedure to increase or decrease General Public Fund (GPF) Subscription?

Ans. GPF subscription can be increased or decreased by submitting request for the same.

Q. Can I get Temporary advance from G.P.Fund for children”s higher education?

Ans. Yes Temporary advance and Final Withdrawal both can be availed for Children”s higher education on production of necessary documents.

Q. Who will make payment on account of final withdrawal from GPF during the last two years of service prior to retirement?

Ans: Only Fund Cell of PCDA(R&D) will make payment in such cases.

Q. When the employee can withdraw money from GPF without assigning any reason and the percentage permissible?

Ans: An employee can withdraw final withdrawal from GPF up to 90% of credit balance within six months prior to his retirement.

Q. What is the maximum number of installments in which temporary advance out of GPF can be recovered?

Ans: GPF advance can be recovered in not more than 36 installments.

Q. If it is noticed that amount drawn by an employee out of GPF was not debited in the same financial year. How it will be adjusted?

Ans: The amount withdrawn will be debited in the CCO-9 and up to date interest will also be debited.

Q. What is the minimum & maximum rate of subscription?

Ans: A Government employee can subscribe minimum 6 percent of total emoluments and not more than his total emoluments in his/her GPF.

Q. What is DLIS and what are the conditions for the same to be paid?

Ans.DLIS stands for Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme. DLIS is given to family of the GP fund subscriber on his demise. Maximum limit of DLIS is Rs.60,000.

Q. How the discrepancies in the GP Fund statement will be settled/rectified?

Ans.The cases of discrepancies in the GP Fund statements should be taken up with the concerned pay audit section under PCDA(R&D) (DRDO Cell/Sub-office of PCDA(R&D)).  The section after verifying the same forwards it to the Fund cell under PCDA(R&D) for rectification.

Children Education Allowance

Q. Is cost of books/dress reimbursable while claiming Children Education Allowance?

Ans. Yes, cost of books and dress can be reimbursed.

Q. Whether Children Education Allowance can be claimed monthly?

Ans. No

Medical

Q. What are the documents required to take prior permission to undergo tests from a recognized Centre.

Ans. Following document are required to take prior permission to undergo tests from a recognized centre:

1. Copy of the prescription slip by CGHS/Government Doctor advising the test/procedure
2. Copy of CGHS Card of the patient.
3. An application clearly indicating the name of the Centre from where the permission to carry out tests is sought.