21. Advances from the Fund.- (1) The sanctioning authority, as specified in Schedule II, may sanction the payment to any subscriber of an advance consisting of a sum of whole rupees and not exceeding in amount three months’ pay or half the amount of subscription and interest thereon standing to the credit of the subscriber in the Fund, whichever is less, for one more of the following purposes:- (a) to pay expenses in connection with the illness, confinement or a disability, including where necessary, the travelling expenses of the subscriber and members of his family or any person actually dependent on him: (b) to meet the cost of higher education, including where necessary, the travelling expenses of the subscriber and members of his family or any person actually dependent on him in the following cases, namely:- (i) for education outside India for academic, technical, professional or vocational course beyond the High School stage; and (ii) for any medical, engineering or other technical or specialised course beyond the High School stage, provided that the course of study is for not less than three years; (c) to pay obligatory expenses on a scale appropriate to the subscriber’s status which by customary usage the subscriber has to incur in connection with betrothal or marriages, funerals or other ceremonies; (d) to meet the cost of legal proceedings instituted by or against the subscriber, any member of his family or any person actually dependent upon him, the advance in this case being available in addition to any advance admissible for the same purpose from any other Government source. (e) to meet the cost of the subscriber’s defence where he engages a legal practitioner to defend himself in an enquiry in respect of any alleged official misconduct on his part. (f) to purchase consumer durables such as Television, Video Cassette Recorder/Video Cassette Player, Washing machines, Cooking Range, Geysers and Computers, etc. (2) The Chairperson may, in special circumstances, sanction the payment to any subscriber of an advance if he is satisfied that the subscriber concerned requires the advance for reasons other than those mentioned in sub-rule (1). (3) An advance shall not, except for special reasons to be recorded in writing, be granted to any subscriber in excess of the limit laid down in sub-rule (1) or until repayment of the last installment of any previous advance: Provided that an advance shall in no case exceed the amount of subscriptions and interest thereon standing to the credit of the subscriber in the Fund. (4) When an advance is sanctioned under sub-rule (3) before repayment of the last installment of any previous advance is completed the balance of any previous advance not recovered shall be added to the advance so sanctioned and the installment for recovery shall be fixed with reference to the consolidated amount. (5) After sanctioning the advance, the amount shall be drawn on an authorization from the Secretary in case where the application for final payment had been forwarded to the Secretary under clause (ii) sub-rule (3) of rule 32. | 