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:
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:
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 by 7th CPC
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
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
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 selfcertified 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
All the above provisions will apply to Railway personnel also
Source SAPost blog
