Union Railway minister replies in Rajya Sabha : Railways not to commence concessional ticket facility for Sr citizen, handicapped, war widows etc at present

While BJP led NDA government is busy in disinvestment, likely to privatise the Bharat Petroleum as well as the Air India by the next year, its union Railway minister is in no mood to give concessions to the senior citizens, handicapped, war widows, students, farmers etc in the Railways travel, the facilities given earlier but stopped during the Covid 19 phase.

The Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnav has in a written reply in Rajya Sabha to a member’s question made categorically clear that while during the challenging Covid 19 times the due railway concessions for all the deserving categories have been revoked, at present there is no possibility of starting these concessions in railway tickets.

It may be recalled that on 20 th Match 2020 in view of the then prevalent Covid 19 epidemic and closure of the railways these concessions earlier given to the senior citizens, handicapped and visually and mentally impaired, war widows, sportsman, teachers, patients n in 11 categories etc were revoked with an assurance that while the railways will be started again adopting a normal phase, these concessions would be re implemented but the written reply of the Union railway minister has indeed demoralised the senior citizens and handicapped of four categories n war widows, students, patients etc who would not be getting these concessions as before while travelling in Railways. Sounds anguishing indeed.

There are thousands of commuters of Railways especially the working class n senior citizens who have lost their jobs during the Covid 19 pandemic including poor n hapless families travelling in Railways for critical treatments of their sons, daughters n senior citizens including the handicapped travelling in search of jobs particularly in the construction industry for the sustenance of their families fishing in troubled waters.

Now, instead of giving them relief in travelling in Railways, the concessional facility due earlier, the Union Minister of Railways Ashwani says that his ministry has no plans at present to re implement the concessional facility which was lifted by the present government in January, 2020 with an assurance to lift it at the earliest.