IREC Rule No.1636: Traveling Allowance To Railway Servants Entitled To Journeys By Air
1636. Traveling Allowance To Railway Servants Entitled To Journeys By Air:-
(1) A railway servant entitled / authorized to travel by air on tour will draw the actual fare for journeys by air and in addition, draw daily allowance for the entire absence from the Headquarters starting with departure from Headquarters and ending with arrival at Headquarters, to cover both on-the-way expenses as well as expenses for halts at outstation.
(2) Members of the Railway Board, General Managers and Officers of equivalent rank, may travel by air on tour at their own discretion. Officers of the rank of Executive Directors or Secretary may be permitted to travel by air with the specific sanction of the Member concerned in the Railway Board, and Heads of Departments on the Railways with the specific sanction of their General Managers, in consultation with their FA&CAOs.
(3) Every journey by air must, before it is undertaken, receive the sanction of the Railway Board or the General Manager of a Railway or the officer exercising the powers of a General Manager, as the case may be.
(4) Journeys by air should be permitted only in cases of extreme urgency or where saving the public time is essential. Each case of journey proposed to be performed by air, should be considered on its merits before it is sanctioned.
(5) When Members of the Railway Board and the General Managers of the Railways permit officers under their direct control to travel by air, they should invariably record the reasons why they considered travel by air to be essential.
(6) Officers below the rank of Executive Directors or Secretary in the Railway Board’s office will not be permitted to travel by air save in exceptional circumstances and with the prior sanction of the Railway Board. On Railways, General Managers may permit Junior Administrative Grade Officers to travel by air on duty in exceptional circumstances subject to the following conditions;
(1) These powers may be exercised only by General Managers and not by CAOs, and are not to be re-delegated further.
However, CAO, COFMOW/New Delhi, DCW/Patiala and MTP/Chennai may also exercise these powers with the personal concurrence of FA&CAO.
(2) These powers are to be exercised personally by the General Managers with the personal concurrence of FA&CAO.
(3) Air travel will be permitted only in cases where the duration of the journey one-way is more than 12 hours by rail.
(4) Each proposal regarding Air travel would require to be justified on merits.
Note: In exceptional circumstances, General Managers are required to obtain prior sanction of the Railway Board to permit a Railway servant below the rank of Junior Administrative Grade to travel by air on duty.
[Authority: RBE No.101/2007, No.F(E)I/2007/AL-28/22, 07.08.2007, ACS No.58]
(7) Railway officers in pay scale of Rs.67000-79000 or above may travel at their discretion in Business or Club Class by air within the country on tour. Officers drawing Grade Pay of Rs.10000 may also travel by Business / Club Class with the approval of Competent Authority. Other officers and non-officials, who are authorized to travel by air within India at Government expense, shall be entitled to travel by Economy Class only where two classes of accommodation i.e. Economy Class and Business or Club class are available on the airlines.
[Authority: RBE No.192/2008, No.F(E)I/2008/AL-28/14, 01.12.2008, RBE No.49/2013, No.F(E)I/2008/AL-28/36, 23.05.2013, ACS No.60]
(8) In the case of International travel, officers of and above the level of Secretaries to the Government of India and equivalent status shall be entitled to travel by first class, officers of the level of Additional Secretaries and Joint Secretaries and of equivalent status by Business / Club Class, and all other officers by Economy Class.
[Authority: RBE No.82/1998, No.F(E)I/98/AL-28/9, 24.04.1998]