Central government officers will now be entitled to mobile phone, laptop or any comparable gadget worth up to Rs 1.3 lakh, which they can also retain for personal use after four years.
The Finance Ministry’s Expenditure Department has issued guidelines for issuing mobile, laptop, tablet, phablets, notebooks, notepads, ultra-book, netbooks, or devices of similar categories to eligible officers for official work.
According to an office memorandum issued by the Expenditure Department, all Central government officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary and above will be entitled to such electronic devices.
In the case of Section Officers and Under Secretaries, 50 per cent of the sanctioned strength can be issued such devices. As far as the cost of devices are concerned, the guidelines said that it could be Rs 1 lakh including taxes. However, for devices with a ‘Make in India’ component of more than 40 per cent, the price ceiling will be Rs 1.30 lakh plus taxes.
“No new device may be sanctioned to an officer who has already been allotted a device, in a ministry or department, up to four years except in case of repair, which is declared as ‘beyond economical repairs’,” the memorandum said.
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