Government employees at this point not bound to fly Air India

The Centre has finished Air India’s monopoly over flying millions of government employees after its privatization, however, a large part of the employees’ ticketing requirements will now be handled by three public sector companies.
Under the new framework, government officials can purchase Air India tickets in real money or decide to book some other Indian airlines through the three public area organizations that are probably going to procure office commissions and tagging charges from the enormous pool of government employees, assessed to run into a few millions.
On November 2, department of investment and public asset management secretary Tuhin Kanta Panda said it won’t be mandatory for government employees to go in Air India after its privatization. Air India, as well, has quit offering them the credit facility for acquisition of air tickets, inciting the money service to request that all services clear the airlines’ dues.
The old framework required government employees to book with the previous public transporter in areas it overhauled. “For different spots, where there were no Air India [flights] or its auxiliaries, we needed to take earlier consent for purchasing tickets,” said a senior official, who didn’t wish to be named.
Be that as it may, while Air India has lost an enormous hostage client base, three PSUs, Balmer Lawrie, Ashoka Travels and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) get to do all ticket reserving for government employees. Balmer Lawrie, an organization under the petrol service, gives coordination support and a large group of other business while Ashoka Travels and Tours Ltd is under the government’s catering arm India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). The third element, IRCTC works a movement entrance, gives ticket booking and obliging Indian Railways. Both IRCTC and Balmer Lawrie are recorded organizations.
India has eight airlines serving in different areas separated from some provincial transporters that are basically centred around certain courses under the government’s Udaan conspire. Aside from Air India, Vistara, Air Asia, Spice Jet, Go First, Indigo and Air India express and Alliance Air are working in the country.
A circular of the Lok Sabha secretariat dated November 5, said, “All the officers are thereby requested to purchase air tickets in cash from Air India/Indian Airlines counter or from three agents, i.e. Balmer Lawrie and Co. Ashoka Travels and Tours Ltd and IRCTC, authorised by the ministry of finance for the official journeys to be performed.”
The Lok Sabha circular, referring to the General Finance Rules, additionally let officials know that all air ticket bills should be submitted inside the specified period. “Henceforth, no request to honour the TA/DA claim after the stipulated time limit shall be entertained in any case,” it added.
The Union government offered ailing Air India to Tata Sons last month after a few failed endeavours and expansion of cut-off times. Tata Sons purchased the national carrier for ₹18,000 crore in a deal that will no longer see hefty bailout packages for the carrier that was widely seen as a burden on tax revenue and government intervention in an otherwise competitive market.

Source: Hindustan Times