**Executive Summary:**
These Office Memorandums from the Ministry of Finance modify instructions for booking air tickets on Government accounts due to the disinvestment of Air India. Government employees must purchase tickets through authorized travel agents and select the best available fare. Ministries/Departments must clear outstanding dues to travel agents by August 31, 2022 and ensure compliance with these orders.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
**Authorized Travel Agents:**
* Air tickets must be purchased only from three authorized travel agents: Balmer Lawrie Company Limited (BLCL), Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT), and Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC).
* The choice of travel agent is left to the Ministry/Department or the official, based on convenience and service quality, but all tickets for a single tour should be booked through one selected agent.
* No agency charges/convenience fees will be paid to these booking agencies.
**Ticket Booking Guidelines:**
* Employees must choose the flight with the Best Available Fare on their entitled travel class, which is the cheapest fare available, preferably for a nonstop flight.
* Optimize within a ₹10 price band for convenience and comfort.
* Employees are encouraged to book tickets at least 21 days prior to travel for competitive fares. Bookings can be made even if tour program approval is pending.
* Bookings made less than 72 hours before travel require a self-declared justification.
* Employees are encouraged to avoid unnecessary cancellations; cancellations less than 24 hours before travel require a self-declared justification.
* Employees should book only one ticket per leg of travel, but in special cases, a maximum of two tickets may be booked with justification.
* Employees are encouraged to book digitally through the Self Booking Tool/online portal using their official Government Email ID.
**Financial and Compliance Matters:**
* Ministries/Departments should ensure sufficient budget availability for travel.
* In unavoidable circumstances, Financial Advisors/Joint Secretaries can authorize relaxation for bookings from unauthorized sources.
* Ministries/Departments must clear air ticket dues within 30 days of journey completion.
* Employees must submit a self-declaration certificate within 72 hours of journey completion to confirm performance of journey.
* Ministries/Departments must clear all previous outstanding dues to travel agents by August 31, 2022.
* No mileage points will be generated for travel on Government account.
**Implementation and Communication:**
* Ministries/Departments must ensure strict compliance and circulate the order widely.
* The O.M. supersedes all existing instructions on the subject.
**Impact Analysis:**
**Ministries/Departments:**
* *Impact:* Must ensure employees comply with new booking procedures, have sufficient budget, clear dues promptly, and circulate the O.M.
* *Action Required:* Implement and enforce the policy, ensure budget availability, clear dues by August 31, 2022, and communicate the changes to all relevant staff.
**Government Employees:**
* *Impact:* Must book air tickets through authorized agents, choose the best available fare, and adhere to booking and cancellation guidelines.
* *Action Required:* Register official email IDs with authorized agents, book tickets according to the new rules, submit self-declarations as needed, and avoid unnecessary cancellations.
**Authorized Travel Agents (BLCL, ATT, IRCTC):**
* *Impact:* Will be the sole providers of air tickets for government travel and need to provide best available fares.
* *Action Required:* Ensure their systems are compatible with the new policy, inform the Ministry/Department about accrued mileage points on a quarterly basis and facilitate digital booking.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure: The government department responsible for issuing the office memorandum regarding air travel booking.
Air India: The airline company, formerly the primary choice for government officials, which is undergoing disinvestment.
Balmer Lawrie Company Limited: One of the three authorized travel agents (ATAs) from which government officials are required to purchase air tickets.
Ashok Travels Tours: One of the three authorized travel agents (ATAs) from which government officials are required to purchase air tickets.
Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd: One of the three authorized travel agents (ATAs) from which government officials are required to purchase air tickets.
Leave Travel Concession: Leave Travel Concession (LTC) is an entitlement of Central Government Employees which provides for reimbursement of travel expenses when they avail leave to travel to their home town or any place in India
Finance Secretary, Secretary Expenditure: The approving authority for the issued orders related to modification of instructions regarding booking of air tickets.
Central Civil Services Classification, Control and Appeal Rules, 1965: The set of rules under which disciplinary action can be taken against employees if the self-declaration related to travel is found untrue.
No. 19024/03/2021-E.1V
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
ee
North Block, New Delhi.
Dated the 16t June, 2022
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Modification of instructions regarding Booking of Air Tickets on Government account.
In view of the decision of the Government for disinvestment of Air India, it has already been
decided that in all cases of air travel where the Government of India bears the cost of air passage, air
tickets shall be purchased only from the three Authorized Travel Agents viz.
(i) M/s Balmer Lawrie & Company Limited (BLCL),
(ii) M/s Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT) -
(iii) Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC),
2. The choice of the travel agent for booking of ticket for tour and LTC from those in Para 1 is left open
to the Ministry/Department and to the official in case of self booking, based on convenience and service
quality. Tickets for all employees for a single tour should be done through one selected travel agent only.
No agency charges/convenience fees will be paid to these three booking agencies.
3. Employees are to choose flight having the Best Available Fare on their entitled travel class which
is the Cheapest Fare available, preferably for Non-stop flight in a given slot at the time of booking :-
(a) On the day of travel in the desired 3 hours slot of following time band - 00.00 to 03.00, 03.00 to
06.00, 06.00 to 09.00, 09.00 to 12.00, 12.00 to 15.00, 15.00 to 18.00, 18.00 to 21.00, 21.00 to
24.00
(b) With provision of optimizing within a 10% price band, for convenience and comfort.
4. Employees are encouraged to book flight tickets at least 21 days prior to the intended date of travel
on tour and LTC, to avail the most competitive fares and minimize burden on the exchequer. Bookings
may be made even if the approval of the tour programme is still under process.
5. Any bookings made within less than 72 hours of intended travel on Tour, will require the
submission of self-declared justification by the employee.
6. Employees are also encouraged to avoid unnecessary cancellations. Cancellations made less than
24 hours before intended travel, will require the submission of a self-declared justification by the
employee.
7. Employees should preferably book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel. Holding of more
than one ticket is not allowed. However, in case of special exigencies or exceptional circumstances, a
maximum of two tickets for the alternative flights for different time-slot may be booked for same leg of
travel with the self-declared justification for the same.-2-
8. (a) While tickets may be arranged by the office through the travel agent, employees are encouraged to
make ticket booking digitally through the Self Booking Tool/online booking website/portal of these 3
authorized agencies only.
(b) Employees must register their official Government Email-ld with these 3 agencies to book their air
tickets digitally through above modes for travel by any airlines.
9. Ministries/Departments should ensure the availability of sanctioned Budget for Domestic and
Foreign travel for their employees.
10. _ In case of unavoidable circumstances, where the booking of ticket is done from unauthorized travel
agent/website, the Financial Advisors of the Ministry/Department and Head of Department not below the
rank of Joint Secretary in subordinate /attached offices are authorized to grant relaxation,
11. All Ministries/Departments are to clear their dues on account of air ticket to the concerned travel
agent within a maximum of 30 days from completion of journey.
12. To ensure timely payment of air ticket to the travel agents, to confirm the performance of journey,
the employee has to submit a certificate/undertaking in prescribed proforma (enclosed as Annexure-1)
within 72 hours of completion of journey. TA bill may be submitted later as per the existing rules.
13. Ministries/Departments must clear all previous outstanding dues to the travel agents by 31st
August, 2022.
14. No Mileage Points will be generated against travel on Government account.
15. All Ministries/Departments are directed to ensure strict compliance of the order and to widely
circulate this O.M. in all offices including Attached/Subordinate Offices/Autonomous Bodies under their
control.
16. This O.M. is issued in supersession of all existing instructions on the subject.
17. _ This is issued with the approval of the Finance Secretary & Secretary (Expenditure).
dl.
(Nirmala Dev)
Director
To,
All Ministries/Departments of the Government of India as per standard distribution list.
Copy : Olo C&AG, UPSC etc. as per standard endorsement list.Annexure-1
Self-declaration Certificate for Completion of Journey
(Annexure to O.M. No. 19024/03/2021-E.IV dated 16.06.2022)
41. 1 (Name of the employee............. ccc ceecen cece teteee ee teneneneteeteesereeees ) hereby declare and
certify that :
2. | have actually performed the onward journey ffOM............ceceeeeeeeen to
on, for the purpose of
wn to
ces cetsteuetevtseesseeeseseeneeeeeeead ON. esseeseserereeree-(date) and return journey
. -for the purpose of
Transfer/LTC/Retirement. The particulars of the self and family members who have performed journey
either with the Government servant or separately are as under :-
S.No. 7 Name
4. In case the above declaration given by me is not found true at any stage, | shall be liable to
disciplinary action under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, as
amended from time to time.
(Signature)
Name of the Government Servant...........-:::c:ccsesesttenerereteens
Designation................0
Name of the Ministry/Department..............0:0:ccececeseseeeees
To
Admin/Establishment Section
Ministry/Department...............No, 19024/03/2021-E.1V
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
North Block, New Delhi.
Dated the 31” December, 2021
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
‘Subject: Modification of instructions regarding Booking of Air Tickets on Government
account.
The undersigned is directed to refer to extant orders of this Department whereby in all cases
of air travel where the Government of India bears the cost of air passage, the officials concerned are
to travel by Air India only and air tickets are to be purchased directly from Air india or by utilizing the
services of the three Authorized Travel Agents viz. M/s Balmer Lawrie & Company Limited (BLCL),
M/s Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT) and Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd
(CTC)
2 In view of the decision of the Government for disinvestment of Air india, it has been decided
that in all cases of air travel where the Government of India bears the cost of air passage, air tickets
shall be purchased from the three Authorized Travel Agents viz.
|) Mis Balmer Lawrie & Company Limited (BLCL),
li) Mis Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT)
ii) Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC)
3. ‘The travel agents are expected to provide to the Govt. employees the ‘Best available fare’
‘on the date of booking on the basis of tour programme as per their entitlement.
4 The choice of the travel agent for booking of ticket from those in Para 2 is left open to the
Ministry/Department, Tickets may be arranged by the office or may be booked by the employee
himself, No agency charges will be paid to booking agency i. any of the three Authorized Travel
‘Agents viz. M/s Balmer Lawrie & Company Limited, M/s Ashok Travels & Tours and Indian Railways
Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd
5. All Mileage Points earned by Government employees on tickets purchased for official travel
shall continue to be utilized by the concerned Department for other official travel by their officers,
‘Any usage of these mileage points for purpose of private travel by an officer will attract Departmental
‘action. This is to ensure that the benefits out of official travel which is funded by the Government
should accrue to the Government. The travel agents shall inform about accrued mileage points to the
Ministry/Department on quarterly basis.
6 In case of unavoidable circumstances, where the booking of ticket is done from unauthorized
travel agentwebsite, the Financial Advisors of the Ministry/Department and Head of Department not
below the rank of Joint Secretary in subordinate/attached offices are authorized to grant relaxation
7. To ensure timely payment of air ticket to the travel agents, to confirm the performance of
journey, the employee has to submit a certificate/undertaking in prescribed proforma (enclosed at
‘Annexure-1) within 7 days of completion of journey. TA bill may be submitted later as per the existing
rules.8 All Ministries/Departments are directed to ensure strict compliance of the order and to widely
circulate this O.M. in all offices including attached/subordinate offices/ autonomous bodies under their
control
9. These orders shall be effective from 01.01.2022.
10. This is issued with the approval of the Finance Secretary & Secretary (Expenditure) (,
(Nirmala Dev)
Director
To,
All Ministries/Departments of the Government of india as per standard distribution list.
Copy : Olo C&AG, UPSC etc. as per standard endorsement list.Self-deciaration Certificate for Completion of Journey
(Annexure to O.M. No. 19024/03/2021-E.1V dated 31 December, 2021)
1 | (Name of the employee )
hereby declare and certify that
2 I have actually performed the onward journey from. to
on. (date) and return journey
from. to. on for
the purpose of Tour/Training
OR
F} We have — actually performed = the~=— onward = journey
from. to
from.
on
to
(date) and ‘on.r eturn —_jo fu or rney
the purpose of Transfer/LTC/Retirement. The particulars of the self and family members
who have performed journey either with the Government servant or separately are as
under :-
S.No. Name Age |Relationship with Govt. servant
4 In case the above deciaration given by me is not found true at any stage, | shall
be liable to disciplinary action under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and
Appeal) Rules, 1965, as amended from time to time.
(Signature)
Name of the Government servant.
Designation
Name of the Ministry/Department.
To
Admin/Establishment Section
Ministry/Department.