7th Pay Commission: Diwali gift! Centre extends central government employees' LTC for two years

In a Diwali gift to central government employees, Narendra Modi government has decided to extend their LTC for the next two years. Now, these employees can apply for LTC for visiting North East, Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir till 2022. The government decided to extend the benefits of LTC for another two years as central government employees could not take benefit of this facility due to coronavirus pandemic.
The central government offers LTC to its employees in every three years. The employees are eligible for LTA claim when they travel to any part of the country. The government bears several expenses made during their travel expeditions under LTC.  
According to Union Minister Jitendra Singh, central government employees will be given paid holiday for LTA along with travelling allowance. “The employees can avail LTA for travelling to North-East, Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar and Jammu and Kashmir.  Interestingly, the employees can also travel in economy class on private airlines,” Jitendra Singh said.
Singh said that even Non-Eligible Government Employees can travel on private airlines, adding that these facilities under LTA have been extended till September 25, 2022.
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DA still paid at 17%
Dearness Allowance (DA) which is increased twice a year is still being given to central employees at the old rates due to coronavirus pandemic. The government has increased DA for these employees by 4 per cent in January 2020, taking it to 21%. The employees will be paid DA at the older rate of 17% until June 30, 2021, to mitigate the financial challenges faced by the government due to Covid 19.