Rohit Kumar
Port Blair, 04 June 2022
Mr. S Biju Pillai, General Secretary, Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karamchari Mahasangh recently wrote a letter to the Secretary, Dept. of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and sought relaxation for Govt. Employees of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for air ticket booking.
Mr. Pillai requested the Secretary, Dept. of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance to provide an exemption from the rule of booking air tickets directly from Air India or from the three authorised travel agents to the employees of A & N Islands who had booked their air tickets before 31/12/2021 for travel between April – June 2022 (Summer Vacation).
He also requested that the booking of air tickets directly from the Airline Website be allowed for employees of A & N Islands, as the employees of the Islands are solely dependent on air travel.
Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India through OM No. 19024/03/2021-E.IV dated 31/12/2021 had ordered that when travel is in account of Govt., tickets should be booked directly from Air India or through the three authorised travel agents.
Later Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India through OM No. 19024/03/2021-E.IV dated 16th February 2022, allowed booking of tickets in any airline, but only through the three authorised travel agents.