No govt official will be entitled to ISD facilities on home phones: FinMin

ISD facility is allowed on official telephones in respect of administrative secretaries only, said the guidelines issued by Finance Ministry

No bureaucrat will be entitled to ISD facility on residential telephones from the government, though only secretary-level officers can have such facility on their office landline phones, Finance Ministry guidelines stated.

Issuing comprehensive guidelines for telephone facilities and reimbursement, the Department of Expenditure, under the Finance Ministry, said secretary-level officers will be entitled for reimbursement of one mobile handset costing not more than Rs 25,000 once during the tenure.

"ISD facility shall not be allowed on residential telephones," the guidelines said.

It further said monthly reimbursement for residential phone, mobile and broadband will be subject to a limit of Rs 4,200 per month for a secretary-level officer, Rs 3,000 for additional secretary, Rs 2,700 for joint secretary, Rs 2,250 for director and deputy secretary and Rs 1,200 for officers below the rank of deputy secretary.

"ISD facility is allowed on official telephones in respect of administrative secretaries only," the guidelines said, adding the ISD facility for other officials on office landlines can be granted by the administrative secretary in consultation with the concerned financial advisor.

Financial advisors will have to submit half yearly report to the expenditure department on the ISD facility concurred or approved during a financial year.

With regard to STD facility on landlines, the guideline stipulated that officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above will be entitled for it on office as well as residential landlines.

"Administrative secretary/head of departments in consultation with the concerned financial advisor provide officers below the level of deputy secretary official telephones with STD facility on functional basis. This facility should not be given in a routine manner but extreme caution and austerity should be exercised," it added.

Personal staff of ministers (private secretary, additional private secretary) would be entitled to one residential landline phone.

The guidelines further said that excess expenditure up to 30 per cent of the ceiling amount can be reimbursed to officers of the level of joint secretary and above, and PS and OSDs to ministers, subject to their submitting a certificate saying it was for "official purpose and unavoidable".

In case SIM card is not provided by the embassy doing an overseas visit by an official, the bureaucrats of the rank of additional secretary and above will be entitled to reimbursement of call charges of Rs 2,000 per day, while for others the limit will be Rs 1,000 per day.

"No mobile phone facility will be provided during training period abroad," it added.