New Delhi: The Ministry of Railways does not intend to revive the concession in rail fare for senior citizens. It was closed during Corona. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that an average of 53 per cent discount is being given to all citizens in train travel. Apart from this, there is also concession for Divyangjan, students and patients.
59,837 crore subsidy given on passenger ticket
The Railway Minister was asked that 63 lakh senior citizens have stopped traveling by trains due to lack of concession in fares, so will the facility of concession be given again following the suggestion of the Standing Committee of Parliament. On this, the Railway Minister said that in 2019-20, Railways has given a subsidy of Rs 59,837 crore on passenger tickets. This is an average discount of 53 per cent on the fare for each rail passenger. The Railway Minister admitted that the Parliamentary Committee on Railways has suggested concession on rail tickets to senior citizens in Sleeper and 3 AC classes.
No privatization proposal
Railway Minister Vaishnav said that there is no proposal with the government to privatize the railways. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Vaishnav said that there is no proposal under consideration to operate regular train services through Public Private Partnership (PPP). The Railway Minister also dismissed the question that recently there has been a decrease in the number of employees recruited through the Railway Recruitment Board and the increase in the number of contractual employees.