Indian Railways: Indian Railways provides many facilities to its senior citizen passengers even without informing them. This includes many facilities ranging from cheap train tickets to lower berths.
Indian Railways: Trains are considered one of the major means of transportation in India. According to a data presented in Parliament, about 10,378 trains run every day. Railways takes many steps to provide a better travel experience to its passengers. Railways also takes care of its senior citizen passengers and provides them many facilities. Be it arranging a lower berth for them without asking or giving subsidy on the original price of the ticket – Railways provides many facilities to its passengers. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave information about all these things while giving a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Jugaad of confirmed lower berth without asking
Ashwini Vaishnav told in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that there is a separate provision in the Railways to give confirmed lower berths in the train to senior citizens. According to railway rules, there is a provision to give lower berth to senior citizens and female passengers aged 45 years and above without choosing any option. However, it is important to ensure that accommodation is available at the time of booking.
What is the rule
Under this, for senior citizens, women aged 45 years and above and pregnant women, six to seven lower berths in each coach in sleeper category, four to five lower berths in each coach in 3AC, three to four lower berths in each coach in 2AC. Lower berth quota has been fixed.
He said that apart from this, a provision has also been made by the onboard ticket checking staff to give upper berths to senior citizens, disabled persons and women who have been given upper berths in the system, if any lower berth is vacant in the train.
When will the ticket discount be given to senior citizens?
The Railway Minister said that the discount given to senior citizens on train tickets before the Corona period was withdrawn on March 20, 2020. The government had given a subsidy of Rs 59,837 crore on passenger tickets in 2019-20. He told that every person traveling by train is given an average discount of 53 percent. This subsidy is given to all citizens including senior citizens. Apart from this, Railways gives subsidy in many categories like disabled people, students and patients.
How much discount did senior citizens get?
According to the report, the committee said that Indian Railways used to give 40 percent fare concession to men aged 60 years and above and 50 percent concession to women if the minimum age was 58 years. This discount was given for all classes in Mail/Express/Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto group trains.
