The Cabinet Division has issued new guidelines regarding the submission of travel expense bills and allocation of funds for ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. Seven requirements have been made mandatory, including attaching supporting documents to travel expense bills, settling advance payments within the stipulated time and submitting three sets of bills.

The Cabinet Division’s Cabinet Services Branch issued a circular in this regard on September 3.

According to the circular, ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers travel both within the country and abroad for official purposes. After completing a trip, the concerned ministry or division must submit bills along with the necessary documents to settle the actual expenses incurred.

For foreign trips, a copy of the summary approved by the head of government must be attached to the bill. For domestic trips, a copy of the office order issued by the concerned ministry or division must be submitted.

In addition, actual fare tickets must be submitted for hired vehicles. For air travel, the airline ticket must be accompanied by the boarding pass, approved travel details and itinerary. In the case of accommodation at residential hotels, a copy or proof of the actual payment made must also be provided.

For foreign travel expenses, details of the applicable exchange rate of the relevant foreign currency must be submitted along with the amount in taka. Supporting vouchers or documents must also be provided for other expenses.

The circular further states that if anyone travels beyond the period specified in the summary approved by the head of government, fresh approval must be obtained for the additional period.

The latest instructions issued by the Finance Division must be followed when allocating advance funds.

Those who undertake official trips using advance funds must submit an advance settlement bill within one month of completing the trip. No funds will be allocated for a subsequent trip if the advance bill from the previous trip has not been settled.

The circular also instructs officials to submit bills for advance fund allocation sufficiently in advance to allow adequate time for document processing and release of funds.

In addition, a total of three sets of the bill, including the original copy, must be submitted. All photocopies of the bills must be duly attested.

The circular was issued with the approval of the appropriate authority. It was signed by Sharmin Yasmin, Deputy Secretary (Additional Charge) of the Cabinet Division.

Copies of the circular have been sent to all senior secretaries and secretaries, private secretaries to ministers and state ministers, the private secretary to the Cabinet Secretary, chief accounts officers, accounts officers (DDOs), and relevant ICT officials.

The concerned officials have also been instructed to take necessary steps to upload the circular to the circular section of the Cabinet Division’s website.