IREC Rule No.923: Advances From The Fund
923. Advances From The Fund:-
An advance may be granted to a subscriber from the amount standing to his credit in the fund at the discretion of the authority specified in Rule 922 subject to the following conditions;
(a) A subscriber shall satisfy the authority of the necessary for the advance.
(b) That authority shall record in writing its reasons for granting the advance;
Provided that if the reasons to be recorded are of a confidential nature, they may be communicated by the sanctioning authority to the Accounts Officer personally and/or confidentially;
(c) The advance shall in no case exceed the amount of subscription and interest thereon standing to the credit of the subscriber in the fund at the time when the advance is granted;
(d) Advance on more than one account are not sanctioned simultaneously;
(e) A new advance should not be granted until at least 50 percent of the last advance has been repaid;
(f) An overall limit is always enforced that the amount of the advance is such that after making all permissible deductions the net amount payable is not less than 50 percent of the basic pay; and
(g) The advance is required;
(i) To pay for the passage of the subscriber when proceeding on leave out of India; on medical certificate or returning after such absence; or
(ii) To meet the expenses of the subscriber, or of any member of his family, his parents, minor brothers, or widowed sisters, if they are dependent on him, for making a journey in India or outside India under medical advice or to meet expenses incidental to his or to their severe illness; or
(iii) To meet the cost of education or overseas passage for education of the subscriber or of any person actually dependent on him in the following types of cases;
(a) For education outside India whether for an academic, technical, professional or vocational course, beyond the High School stage;
(b) For post Graduate Courses of all disciplines, Graduate/Post Graduate Degree / Diploma in information Technology related courses conducted by Universities / Recognized Technical Institutions and medical, engineering and other technical or specialized courses in India beyond the High School stage; or
[Authority: RBE No.91/2001, No.F(E)III/98/PF-1/4, 11.05.2001, ACS No.82]
(iv) To pay obligatory expenses on a scale appropriate to the subscriber’s status which by customary usage the subscriber has to incur in connection with his/her marriage or the marriages of his / her children and dependent relatives;
(v) Deleted
(vi) (a) In special cases, for purchasing a motor-car, motor-cycle, scooter, moped etc. or for repaying the Government loan already taken by them for the purpose to the Railway servants who may fall short of the minimum service of 15 years, by a period of not more than 6 months subject to the fulfillment of all other conditions of Rule 925(6)A. The advance thus granted shall be refundable in not more than 36 installments.
(b) In special cases, for booking a motorcar, motor-cycle, scooter, moped, etc. to railway servants falling short of the minimum required service of 15 years by a period of not more than 6 months subject to the fulfillment of all other conditions of Rule 925(6)(B).
(vii) To purchase consumer durable such as TV, VCR / VCP, Washing Machine, Cooking range, geyser, Computer, an advance not exceeding 3 month’s pay or half the amount standing to his credit in the Fund, whichever is less.
[Authority: RBE No.15/1996, No.F(E)III/2002/PF-1/1, 27.02.1996, ACS No.40]
(viii) To meet the cost of legal proceedings instituted by or against the subscriber or any member of his family or any person actually dependent upon him as also to meet the cost of the subscriber’s defence where he engages a legal practitioner to defend himself in any enquiry in respect of any alleged official misconduct on his part, an advance not exceeding 3 month’s pay or half the amount standing to his credit in the Fund, whichever is less.
[Authority: RBE No.203/2002, No.F(E)III/2002/PF-1/6, 13.11.2002, ACS No.87]
(ix) To meet expenses on account of pilgrimage or visiting places of eminence of all religions, an amount not exceeding three months pay or half the amount standing to the credit of the subscriber in the Fund, whichever is less. The authorities vested with the power of sanctioning advance, may satisfy themselves that the palace proposed to be visited is a place of pilgrimage or a place of religious eminence.
[Authority: RBE No.198/2006, No.F(E)III/2005/PF-1/2, 28.12.2006, ACS No.102]
[Forward reference: No.D-43/22/2017-F(E)III, dated 29.06.2017, RBE No.63/2017]
Note: An advance for the construction or a house or flat will be granted only on submission of a plan duly approved by the local municipal body of the area where the house is proposed for construction.
[Authority: No.F(E)III/77-PF-1/3, 27.05.1977]
Provided that the amount of the advance shall not exceed;
(a) Under (i) the actual cost to the subscriber of the passage;
(b) Under (ii) and (iii) a sum consisting of whole rupees and not exceeding 3 month’s pay or half the amount standing to the credit of the subscriber in the fund, whichever is less.
(c) Under (iv), 3 month’s emoluments in the case of the marriage of a male and 6 months’ emoluments in the case of the marriage of a female;
(d) Under (v), 3 months’ emoluments or in special cases, relaxable up to 6 month’s emoluments by the sanctioning authority or half the amount standing to the credit of the subscriber, whichever is less.
[Authority: No.F(E)III/PF(1)/3, 27.5.1977]
Note-1: In special cases, the sanctioning authority may relax, the limit at (c) above but in no case should more than 10 month’s emoluments be sanctioned provided further that advance for the marriage of a male should in no case exceed 6 month’s emoluments.
Note-2: In the case of subscribers to the Provident Fund where the balance in the Provident Fund account, consisting of his own contribution and an interest thereon, does not exceed, Rs.10000 and where the amount available as an advance for marriage purposes within the existing provisions of the Rule, is less than 90% of such amount, an advance up to 90% of the balance may be granted by the sanctioning authority. Where, however, the entitlement of a subscriber, under the existing rules for an advance from the fund for the marriage purposes, is higher than the maximum ceiling of 90% referred to above, the higher amount will be permissible.
[Authority: No.F(E)III/79/PF-1/1, 10.03.1980]
Note-3: For the purpose of this Rule, the term ‘illness’ occurring in clause (ii) above covers confinement.
Note-4: For the purpose of this Rule, advance will be permitted both on the occasions of the betrothal ceremony and the marriage ceremony treating each occasion as a separate purpose.
[Authority: RBE No.41/2001, No.F(E)III/2001/PF-1/1, 26.02.2001, ACS No.80]
Railway Ministry’s Decision: No hard and fast rules can be laid down for the certification of the fact of illness. It is left to the Railway Administrations to adopt a procedure enabling them to judge the genuineness or otherwise of the subscriber’s request. The controlling officer may, at his discretion, refer an application for advance from the State Railway Provident Fund to the Divisional Medical Officer whenever he considers this is justified.
[Authority: No.F(E)52-Adv. 3/2, 18.08.1951, 18.08.1952, No.F(E)53-Adv. 3/3, 19.10.1954]