Indian Railways may once again restore the concession on rail fare to senior citizens. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on behalf of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, it was said that the Railways can soon restore the concession of senior citizens. Let us tell you that the concession given to senior citizens in the fare by the Railways was stopped due to Kovid. The Railway Minister told in the Rajya Sabha last day that Indian Railways gave a subsidy of Rs 59,837 crore on passenger tickets in 2019-20.
There will be concession review in Sleeper and AC 3!
He also informed that the subsidy of Rs 59,837 crore is an average concession of about 53% for each person traveling. Months later, a parliamentary panel recommended that the concession on railway tickets for senior citizens should be restored. The Railway Minister was asked through a written question about the Government’s position on the concession. The Standing Committee on Railways has advised to review and consider giving concessions in Sleeper and AC 3 to senior citizens.
Rs 59,837 crore subsidy given
The Railway Minister said that in 2019-20, a subsidy of Rs 59,837 crore was given on passenger tickets. This is an average concession of 53% for each person traveling in the Railways. This subsidy continues for all passengers. He said that more and more concessions from this subsidy amount are continuing for many categories like Divyang, students and patients. To prevent the spread of the Kovid-19 epidemic, the Railways had stopped the operation of all passenger trains from March 23, 2020.
If the appeal of the parliamentary committee is considered by the Ministry of Railways, then the exemption for senior citizens can be restored again. However, in December 2022, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav made it clear that the discount on ticket fare cannot be restored at present. Explaining the reason behind this, he had said that the pension and salary bill of the Railways is very high.
