Gujarat govt to cover Vande Bharat Train costs for state employees under LTC

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has taken a significant step by approving the inclusion of Vande Bharat train travel in the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) for state government employees.
This decision was made in response to state employees’ requests to cover Vande Bharat train journeys under their LTC benefits.
“State government employees are eligible for LTC benefits every four years, within a limit of 6,000 kilometres. Employees usually travel by train under such concessions,” the statement read as quoted by ANI.
In recent years, Indian Railways has introduced the Vande Bharat train, which is equipped with modern facilities, the statement said, adding that the state government employees had requested the inclusion of Vande Bharat train travel in the leave travel concession they receive.
“In response to the widespread interests of the employees, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, with a generous approach, has decided to include Vande Bharat train travel for LTC from the beginning of the LTC block 2020-23,” it added.
The decision will benefit five lakh state government employees during their leave travel concession. Under the guidance of the chief minister, the Finance Department will issue a resolution in this regard.
CM Patel recently decided to supply Narmada water to the farmers and residents of North Gujarat. Due to heavy rainfall upstream of the Narmada Dam, the water level in the Sardar Sarovar Dam has risen, enabling the state government to direct this water to lakes in North Gujarat.
The government has planned to distribute Narmada water through 13 pipelines to 952 lakes across Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, and Sabarkantha districts. Currently, 1,000 cusecs of water are being pumped to these lakes, with plans to gradually increase the supply to 2,400 cusecs in the coming days.
 
(With ANI inputs)