In a significant move benefiting its staff, Panjab University (PU) has implemented a major overhaul of its Travelling Allowance (TA) and Daily Allowance (DA) rules. The revised framework, which came into effect on January 1, replaces a system that had been in place since 2009. The new policy substantially increases the financial entitlements for employees on official tours, particularly for daily expenses and hotel stays.
Key Changes in Daily Allowance Structure
The most notable shift is in the calculation of daily allowance. The old system linked the DA amount to an employee's grade pay and the population of the city being visited. This often resulted in meagre amounts for travel to smaller towns. For instance, a senior employee in an A1 city could claim up to Rs 800 per day, but this dropped sharply to just Rs 320 per day in a B2 category city. Lower-grade employees could receive as little as Rs 160 to Rs 200 per day in these smaller locations.
The new framework simplifies and enriches this structure. It now fixes the daily allowance based on pay level and location, completely removing the city population filter. For tours within Punjab, including Chandigarh, the daily allowance now ranges from Rs 300 to Rs 700 per day. For official travel outside the state, the entitlement is even higher, ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 800 per day.
This translates to a dramatic increase. A senior employee visiting a small town, who was earlier limited to about Rs 320, can now claim Rs 700 within Punjab and Rs 800 outside, a jump of Rs 380 to Rs 480 daily. For lower-category staff, the increase is even more impactful in percentage terms, nearly doubling their daily allowance from the old Rs 160-200 range to the new Rs 300-400 bracket.
Major Reset for Hotel and Transfer Expenses
Perhaps the most substantial monetary reset is in hotel reimbursement. Earlier provisions were restrictive, linked to vague city categories and hotel types, with unclear spending ceilings. The revised rules bring much-needed clarity and generosity.
Employees on overnight tours outside Punjab and Chandigarh can now claim actual hotel expenses, subject to clear, category-wise daily ceilings. These limits range from Rs 1,000 per day for the lowest category to Rs 5,000 per day for the highest. For many employees, this is the first time a formal, bill-based reimbursement ceiling has been explicitly defined.
Transfer-related benefits have also seen a significant absolute increase. The earlier provisions for carriage of personal effects were limited and poorly defined. The new policy introduces lump-sum transport charges that range from Rs 2,500 to Rs 12,000 for the lowest category and go up to Rs 48,000 for higher categories, depending on the distance of the transfer. This can mean an increase of several thousand rupees for employees relocated over long distances in the public interest.
Revised Eligibility and Other Provisions
Alongside the higher payouts, the university has introduced a stricter eligibility threshold for claiming the full daily allowance. Previously, it became admissible after six hours of absence beyond 25 km from headquarters. Under the new rules, the full allowance is payable only after 12 hours of absence, balancing the enhanced rates with a more rigorous duration criterion.
Other travel components have also been upgraded. The mileage allowance for using personal vehicles has been revised to Rs 15 per km for cars/AC taxis and Rs 9 per km for scooters/autos, moving away from the earlier nominal rates.
Overall, Panjab University's updated TA/DA framework marks a decisive break from its 14-year-old predecessor. It delivers a substantial financial uplift for employees, especially those travelling to smaller towns and on extended official tours, by addressing long-standing gaps and injecting much higher reimbursement ceilings into the system.
