The Central government on Friday announced an updated leave structure for its employees, offering greater flexibility to manage personal responsibilities. Central government employees will now be entitled to 30 days of earned leave, 20 days of half-pay leave, eight days of casual leave, and two days of restricted holiday annually.
These leave provisions can be availed for any personal reason, including caring for elderly parents. Additional eligible leaves, as per existing rules, will also continue to be available to staff.
Govt leave policy
Central government employees are entitled to various types of leave under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, including for personal responsibilities such as caring for elderly parents. In a written reply to Parliament, Union Minister Jitendra Singh clarified that the rules allow employees to avail themselves of leave for personal reasons, including elder care.
According to the rules, government employees can take 30 days of earned leave, 20 days of half pay leave, eight days of casual leave, and two days of restricted holidays each year. These provisions apply to all Central government employees, except those governed by separate service rules, such as Railway personnel or members of the All India Services.
The leave system is managed through a “Leave Account” for each employee, with entitlements credited in advance on January 1 and July 1 every year. When leave is taken, the corresponding days are debited. However, certain special categories of leave—such as maternity leave, paternity leave, child care leave, and study leave—are regulated separately and may not always be debited to the leave account.
Additionally, holidays like casual leave, restricted holidays, and compensatory offs are governed by executive instructions issued periodically. Singh’s clarification reinforces the flexibility in the system to accommodate employees’ personal and family responsibilities, especially elder care.