New Foreign Travel Rules for West Bengal State Government Employees, Permission Required a Month in Advance

Foreign Travel: A new directive has been issued regarding the rules for foreign travel for state government employees. From now on, whether for personal or official work, permission must be obtained at least one month in advance. Regarding this, the state’s Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, recently sent a letter to the secretaries of all departments. This new rule will also apply to the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) for state government employees.

Details of the New Rules

According to the new directive issued by the State Finance Department, prior approval is now mandatory for any type of foreign tour for state government employees. The important information regarding this is highlighted below:

• Application Deadline: If planning to travel abroad, the concerned employee must apply to the Chief Secretary’s office through their department head at least one month in advance.
• Also Applicable for LTC: State government employees receive LTC benefits to travel with their families to certain countries once every ten years. This new rule will also be effective for travel to countries like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
• No Special Exemptions: The letter clearly states that no special exemption will be granted for approval on the grounds that all arrangements have been made. Therefore, it is mandatory to obtain permission before booking tickets or hotels.
• Service Rule: There are specific rules in the service rule for government employees traveling abroad, and government approval is also required to get a passport. However, the letter indicates that many are not following this rule correctly.

Employee Reactions

While employee organizations have welcomed the government’s decision, they have also requested that provisions for special exemptions be kept for emergency situations. According to them, there can be sudden needs for foreign travel for personal or official emergencies. In such cases, the rule of seeking permission one month in advance could be problematic.

LTC Facility

LTC is a very attractive facility for state government employees, which is not available to central government employees. Under this facility, employees receive the airfare cost for traveling abroad with their family members. Due to this benefit, the trend of foreign travel is higher among state government employees.