7th Pay Commission Travelling Allowance and Daily Allowance (TA DA) related Recommendations

7th Pay Commission Travelling Allowance and Daily Allowance (TA DA) related Recommendations

Daily Allowance

Daily allowance is meant to cover living expenses when employees travel out of their headquarters for work. Presently it is in the form of reimbursement of staying accommodation expenses, travelling charges (for travel within the city) and food bills, payable at the following rates:

GP>=10,000	Reimbursement for hotel accommodation/guest house of up to ₹7,500 per day, reimbursement of AC taxi charges of up to 50 km for travel within the city and Reimbursement of food bills not exceeding ₹750 per day
7600 <=GP<= 8900	Reimbursement for hotel accommodation/guest house of up to ₹4,500 per day, reimbursement of non-AC taxi charges of up to 50 km per diem (per day) for travel within the city and Reimbursement of food bills not exceeding ₹450 per day
5400 <=GP<= 6600	Reimbursement for hotel accommodation/guest house of up to ₹2,250 per day, reimbursement of non-AC taxi charges of up to ₹225 per diem (per day) for travel within the city and Reimbursement of food bills not exceeding ₹300 per day
4200 <=GP<= 4800	Reimbursement for hotel accommodation/guest house of up to ₹750 per day, reimbursement of non-AC taxi charges of up to ₹150 per diem (per day) for travel within the city and Reimbursement of food bills not exceeding ₹225 per day
GP < 4200	Reimbursement for hotel accommodation/guest house of up to ₹450 per day, reimbursement of non-AC taxi charges of up to ₹75 per diem (per day) for travel within the city and Reimbursement of food bills not exceeding ₹150 per day

For journeys on foot, undertaken in organizations like FSI, Survey of India, GSI, etc. for data collection purposes, an additional allowance of ₹7.5 per km travelled on foot shall be payable

The existing dispensation is different for Railway employees who are paid a flat sum because they are currently not entitled to stay in any accommodation other than Railway rest houses. The lump-sum rates for Railway personnel are as follows:

Entitlement for DA	GP>=10,000	₹780 per day
	7600 <=GP<= 8900	₹690 per day
	5400 <=GP<= 6600	₹600 per day
	4200 <=GP<= 4800	₹510 per day
	GP < 4200	₹316 per day
Amount payable	If absence from HQ <6 hrs	30% of DA
	If absence from HQ is between 6-12 hrs	70% of DA
	If absence from HQ >12 hrs	100% of DA

Representations received regarding this allowance primarily deal with the reimbursement procedure, as it is claimed that getting hotel bills (in small towns) and food bills is not always practical.

Analysis and Recommendations

The Commission considered the present model of this allowance, followed both in Railways and in other ministries. It is proposed to adopt the best from both of them so that the administration of the allowance can be simplified. Accordingly the following is recommended:

a) Reimbursement of staying accommodation charges

Level	Ceiling for Reimbursement
14 and above	7500
12 and 13	4500
9 to 11	2250
6 to 8	750
5 and below	450

For levels 8 and below, the amount of claim (up to the ceiling) may be paid without production of vouchers against self-certified claim only. The self-certified claim should clearly indicate the period of stay, name of dwelling, etc. The ceiling for reimbursement will further rise by 25 percent whenever DA increases by 50 percent. Additionally, it is also provided that for stay in Class ‘X’ cities, the ceiling for all employees up to Level 8 would be ₹1,000 per day, but it will only be in the form of reimbursement upon production of relevant vouchers.

b) Reimbursement of travelling charges

Level	Ceiling for Reimbursement
14 and above	AC Taxi charges up to 50 km
12 and 13	Non-AC Taxi charges up to 50 km
9 to 11	₹338 per day
6 to 8	₹225 per day
5 and below	₹113 per day

Similar to Reimbursement of staying accommodation charges, for levels 8 and below, the claim (up to the ceiling) should be paid without production of vouchers against self certified claim only. The self-certified claim should clearly indicate the period of travel, vehicle number, etc. The ceiling for levels 11 and below will further rise by 25 percent whenever DA increases by 50 percent. The rate of allowance for foot journeys shall be enhanced from the current rate of ₹7.5 per km to ₹12 per km travelled on foot. This rate also shall further rise by 25 percent whenever DA increases by 50 percent.

c) There will be no separate reimbursement of food bills. Instead, the lump sum amount payable will be as per Table 1 below and, depending on the length of absence from headquarters, would be regulated as per Table 2 below. Since the concept of reimbursement has been done away with, no vouchers will be required. This methodology is in line with that followed by Indian Railways at present (with suitable enhancement of rates).

i. Lump sum amount payable

Level	Lump Sum Amount
14 and above	1200
12 and 13	1000
9 to 11	900
6 to 8	800
5 and below	500

The Lump sum amount will increase by 25 percent whenever DA increases by 50 percent.

ii. Timing restrictions

Table 2
Length of absence	Amount Payable
If absence from headquarters is <6 hours	30% of Lump sum amount
If  absence  from headquarters  is between  6-12 hours	70% of Lump sum amount
If absence from headquarters is >12 hours	100% of Lump sum amount

Absence from Head Quarter will be reckoned from midnight to midnight and will be calculated on a per day basis.

All the above provisions will apply to Railway personnel also.

Daily Allowance on Foreign Travel
This allowance is granted to employees when they undertake foreign travel. The rate of the allowance varies from $60 to $100 per day, depending upon the country involved. No demands have been received regarding this allowance.

Analysis and Recommendations

Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Finance decide the rate of this allowance from time to time. Hence, the rates may be kept unchanged.

Mileage Allowance for Journeys by Road
It is more in the nature of entitlement for road journeys performed by different levels of employees. No demands have been received for any change.

Analysis and Recommendations

The Commission is of the view that present provisions are adequate. Hence, status quo may be maintained except at places where no specific rates have been prescribed. There the rates should be enhanced by 50 percent. Accordingly, the following is recommended:

 

Kind of Place	Level	Mileage Allowance
At places where specific rates have been prescribed	14 or above	Actual fare by any type of public bus including AC bus OR At prescribed rates of AC taxi when the journey is actually performed by AC taxi OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
	6 to 13	Same as above with the exception that journeys by AC taxi are not permissible
	4 and 5	Actual fare by any type of public bus other than AC bus OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
	3 and below	Actual fare by ordinary public bus only OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
At places where no specific rates have been prescribed either by the Director of Transport of the concerned state or of the neighbouring states	For journeys performed by own car/taxi	₹24 per km
	For journeys performed by auto rickshaw, own scooter, etc.	₹12 per km

At places where no specific rates have been prescribed, the rate per km will go up by 25 percent each time DA rises by 50 percent.

Travelling Allowance
This allowance is in the nature of travel entitlements for different ranks of government employees. No demands have been received regarding this allowance.

The Commission opines that the present provisions are adequate. Hence, status quo is recommended with the present system of differentiation based on Grade Pay duly substituted by the Levels of the Pay Matrix:

Kind of Place	Level	Mileage Allowance
At places where specific rates have been prescribed	14 or above	Actual fare by any type of public bus including AC bus OR At prescribed rates of AC taxi when the journey is actually performed by AC taxi OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
	6 to 13	Same as above with the exception that journeys by AC taxi are not permissible
	4 and 5	Actual fare by any type of public bus other than AC bus OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
	3 and below	Actual fare by ordinary public bus only OR At prescribed rates for auto rickshaw for journeys by autorickshaw, own scooter, motor cycle, moped, etc.
At places where no specific rates have been prescribed either by the Director of Transport of the concerned state or of the neighbouring states	For journeys performed by own car/taxi	₹24 per km
	For journeys performed by auto rickshaw, own scooter, etc.	₹12 per km

It is suggested that Indian Railways reconsider its position regarding air travel to its employees, in light of the possible savings in terms of cost and man-hours, particularly after the pay revision as recommended by the Commission. The fact that additional seats will be released in trains for the public will be an added advantage.