New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has extended the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) facility for Central government employees till September 2022-- a scheme which allowed them to travel by air to visit Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, North Eastern Region and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In a relaxation to Central Civil Services (LTC) Rules 1988, the scheme has been extended for a period of two years till September 25, 2022.

As a consequence, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that an entitled government official can avail LTC for visiting J&K, North Eastern Region, Ladakh and Andaman and Nicobar in lieu of a hometown LTC.

In addition, the facility of air journey to non-entitled government servants will be available for visiting J&K, North Eastern Region, Ladakh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

As a further convenience, ease of travel permission is also being granted to undertake journey to these areas by private Airlines, whereas normally a government servant is expected to travel by the state-owned Air India, the minister said.

Describing this as a huge and an exclusive facility for the government employees, Singh said that all eligible government servants may avail LTC to visit J&K or North East or any of these mentioned areas against the conversion of their one Home Town LTC in a four-year block.

However, the minister said, the government servants whose hometown and place of posting is the same are not allowed this conversion. "Such government servants who are not otherwise entitled to travel by air will also be allowed to travel by air, under the norms of this scheme, in economy class by any airlines, subject to the maximum fare limit of LTC-80 scheme."