<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52129810.cms" /> 
The central government has relaxed the norms of Leave Travel Concession (LTC), and will now reimburse full train fare of tickets bought for children aged between five and 12 years. 
 
The move has come after Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) received several references, when various ministries sought clarification about the reimbursements of these fares. 
 
After consulting with Department of Expenditure and Finance Ministry, it was decided that for children in government employees’ family, aged from 5 to 12 years, the actual rail fare shall be reimbursed for LTC. 
 
Earlier, Railways had decided to charge full fare for children in this age group, for whom full berth or seats were sought at the time of reservation. However, if a berth or seat was not sought at the time of reservation, then half of the adult fare was to be charged. 
 
<a href="http://images.financialexpress.com/2016/02/railway-budget-2.jpg">Image source</a>

Government employees will now be reimbursed for full rail fares for children between 5 to 12 years

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:401px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/512ce34969bedda063000006-1024-768/france-tgv-high-speed-rail-train-1.jpg?maxX=401&amp;maxY=301" border="0" alt="france tgv high speed rail train" width="401" height="301" /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/5943743172/sizes/l/in/photostream/">marsupilami92 / Creative Commons</a></div></div>In an effort to boost ridership on its high-speed rail system, <keyword id="6354785" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="France">France</keyword> is offering a new low-cost service, with fares from the Paris suburbs to the Mediterranean coast for as little as €10 ($13).
<a href="http://www.ouigo.com/en">Ouigo</a> (as in "We Go"), an independently run subsidiary of the SNCF, France's national rail company, will begin operation on April 2. SNCF President Guillaume Pepy calls it the best high-speed rail deal in the world, <a href="http://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/services/transport-logistique/20130219trib000749727/sncf-ouigo-le-tgv-encore-moins-cher-qu-en-chine.html">according to La Tribune</a>.
Ouigo will operate its own <keyword id="6360847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Trains">trains</keyword>, with more frequent service than the SNCF currently offers. To allow for such cheap fares, it will adopt the <keyword id="6358021" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="budget">budget</keyword> travel model offered by airlines like easyJet and <keyword id="137187" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ryanair">Ryanair</keyword>.
That means cutting service and adding fees. Passengers can bring only one small bag (about the size of an airplane carry-on) and a purse or backpack.
In a move reminiscent of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-airlines-100-carry-on-fee-2012-10">Spirit Airlines' $100 carry-on bag fee</a>, if a traveler waits until boarding time to pay for an extra bag, there's a €40 charge. If done ahead of time, the cost is only €5.
Seating in a car with outlets costs an extra €2; getting information about a reservation via the phone requires another €1, <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2013/02/19/ouigo-ou-comment-ameliorer-la-productivite-de-la-sncf_1835084_3234.html">according to Le Monde</a>.
Reservations can be changed for €10 (€20 if done on the phone), but not fully reimbursed, and there is no food or drink service on the train.
Another tradeoff for taking Ouigo is that its Paris hub is in Marne la Vallée (where Euro Disney is located) — a €7.30 trip from the city center on the RER, Paris' commuter rail system. Ouigo stations in Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier are much more central.
As <a href="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2013/02/24/in-france-a-truly-low-cost-high-speed-rail-option/">Yonah Freemark at the Transport Politic points out</a>, the SNCF has no competitors in the domestic market, and Ouigo is meant to target travelers who prefer driving to taking the train. (Many of those potential customers own their own cars and live in the Paris suburbs, so the extra RER trip is a minor factor.)
Only 10 percent of all Ouigo tickets will be priced at €10; the rest will cost at most €85, according to Freemark. But for those travelers who snatch up the reduced tickets, it's an excellent deal — especially when France's expensive road tolls and gas prices are accounted for.

France Is Making High-Speed Rail Travel Incredibly Cheap

<ul class="summary-list"><li>MPs have claimed for more than £1.6 million in expenses on first-class train tickets since 2017.</li><li>Guidelines discourage first-class travel, but allow it if cheaper than a standard fare bought on the day.</li></ul>MPs claimed more than £1.6 million in expenses for first-class train travel since 2017, analysis by Insider has found.Expense details published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) show that 314 MP made 17,664 claims for train journeys in first-class between April 1 2017 and March 31 2021.Some of those who claimed are no longer MPs.Parliamentary authorities cracked down on first-class travel by MPs after the expenses scandal of 2009. But the change fell short of a total ban, and buying first-class tickets is still possible by using a loophole in the rules.IPSA - Parliament's expenses watchdog - limits rail fare reimbursement to the price of an "anytime standard open" ticket, generally the most expensive way to travel in standard class.In these situations MPs are almost certainly choosing not to save money by purchasing the equivalent standard-class ticket. It is possible but rare for only first-class advance fares to be available.So by purchasing other types of ticket - such as off-peak or advance ones - MPs can still travel first class so long as it doesn't exceed the anytime open rate.Campaigners say MPs should choose the option with the best value for money for the taxpayer, who foots the bill.John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, told Insider: "Parliamentarians mustn't pamper themselves with premium train journeys if it incurs additional costs for taxpayers."If MPs can get organised to order a first class ticket in advance, they should usually be able to get standard class cheaper."Most people are happy to travel standard class, and these tickets are almost always better value for money."Guidance from IPSA advises MPs that they should "consider value for money when purchasing tickets which they may need to change at short notice.It says "MPs should exercise discretion and balance low cost, generally inflexible, tickets against the probability of cancellations and the charges they will incur."The 15 MPs who claimed the highest amount received a total of £415,142.55, accounting for more than a quarter of the total bill.Among them is the Tory MP Geoffrey Cox, the former Attorney General facing staunch criticism for his highly-paid work as a legal consultant in the British Virgin Islands and Mauritius.Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle also appears in the top 15 claimants, with £27,284.43 claimed for 215 claims.This graph shows the 15 largest claims:<div type="image" title="MPs expenses first class" height="890" width="1441" msid="87671728" hostid="261"></div>Insider calculated the figures by filtering IPSA expense claims for MP's travel categorised as "First", "First - Single", or "First - Return".Some details on MPs expenses has been removed by IPSA following the murder of Sir David Amess, as part of a security review.Thursday 18 November is meant to see the publication of the next tranche of how MPs are spending the public purse, but an IPSA spokesperson told Insider that it had been delayed until 2022.They were unable to provide any further detail on when publication might occur, or the status of the review.There is no suggestion any of the MPs have broken the rules.

MPs claimed £1.6 million on first-class train travel since 2017, using a loophole to avoid rules meant to keep them in standard class

The government is planning to a push a proposal to provide <keyword id="1139733" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Reservation-in-Promotion">reservation in promotion</keyword> for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) employees in government jobs. As per a key official report, the reason behind this move is government’s belief that underprivileged sections need affirmative action. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-why-you-dont-getyour-preferred-berth-on-train-while-booking-through-IRCTC/articleshow/55650999.cms">Here’s why you don’t get your preferred berth on train while booking through IRCTC</a> A report for the same has been prepared by the <keyword id="185360" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="department-of-personnel-and-training">department of personnel and training</keyword> (<keyword id="82842" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="DoPT">DoPT</keyword>), and has been presented to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Modi-is-silent-on-Jat-reservation-row-anti-national-debate-and-many-are-questioning-his-gift-of-gab/articleshow/51118459.cms">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>. "For equal opportunity and inclusive growth, there is need for reservation in promotion to continue in favour of SCs and STs," says the report. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/politics/IAS-officers-given-time-till-Nov-30-to-find-way-to-simplify-government-processes/articleshow/49071966.cms">Modi to ‘Fresher’ babus: On your toes, get set go!</a> It was in March 2016 that Modi chaired a meeting to discuss the issue of judicial orders against reservation in promotion based on the vedict of a constitution bench in the M Nagraj case in 2006. The judgment said that Article 16(4A) was only an enabling provision, and states were free to decide about reservation in promotion to SC/ST employees. After this meeting, DoPT was asked to prepare a report. As per the 2006 order, the provision for reservation could be enforced only after the said employees met several conditions, like backwardness, inadequacy of representation, and administrative efficiency. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/latest/LTC-rules-changed/articleshow/52129794.cms">Government employees will now be reimbursed for full rail fares for children between 5 to 12 years</a> The report by DoPT, prepared in consultation with the attorney general, said that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/latest/IIT-doubles-annual-fee-for-general-category/articleshow/51729001.cms">SC/ST</a> employees lagged behind other social groups when it comes to economic, social and educational backgrounds. Therefore, it was justified to arrange for reservation in promotion to such employees. (Image source TheWire)

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