The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways has once again asked the government to reconsider the decisions regarding the concessions to senior citizen commuters. In its report, the committee urged the Railways to review its earlier decision and considered allowing concessions to senior citizens at least in Sleeper Class and 3A Class.
The committee has reiterated their earlier recommendation so that the vulnerable and genuinely needy citizens could avail the facility in these two classes. In a statement, the committee said, “The Committee, therefore, reiterate their earlier recommendation contained in their above said Report and urge upon the Railways to consider empathically for resumption of concessions in fares to sr. citizens particularly in Sleeper Class and 3A Class under intimation to this Committee.”
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Why the concession to senior citizens commuters stopped?
The railway concessions to senior citizens were withdrawn on March 20, 2020, following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. As the coronavirus situation has now been normalized and the railways have achieved normal growth, thereby the committee has urged the Ministry of Railways to reconsider it. “has not been restored even after the operations of train services are almost restored to the pre-Covid time,” the statement reads.
How much concession, senior citizens received while travelling through railways?
The national transporter used to provide a 40 percent discount in fares to male passengers aged 60 years or above and for females, a 50 percent discount was given if the minimum age was 58 years. These concessions were granted in the fares of all classes of Mail / Express/Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duranto group of trains.
The pandemic has adversely affected the financial condition of the Indian Railways