For an encashment of earned leave of up to 10 days at the time of availing LTC, a balance of at least how many days should be available to a government servant's credit after taking into account the period of encashment as well as leave being availed of ?

According to the Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) guidelines, a government servant is permitted to encash up to 10 days of Earned Leave (EL) while availing LTC. This facility is subject to the following conditions:

• A maximum of 60 days of EL can be encashed during the entire service career.
• A balance of at least 30 days of Earned Leave must be available to the credit of the government servant after taking into account the period of encashment as well as the leave being availed of for the LTC journey.

The requirement of a 30-day balance ensures that the employee maintains a minimum reserve of leave for emergencies. This rule is governed by Rule 38-A of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972.