New Delhi:- Foreigners travelling by trains will no longer be eligible for concessions meant for senior citizens, with the railways deciding to tighten the purse strings and restricting such rebates to Indian nationals permanently residing in the country.
Though Indian Railway charges concessional fares with regard to people belonging to various categories including sportspersons, the differently abled, patients and eminent artistes among others, rebate extended to senior citizens has major financial implications for the national transporter.
Of the Rs 1400 crore cost that the public sector behemoth incurs on extending the benefit of concessional fares to various classes of people every year, a whopping Rs 1200 crore is on account of senior citizens.
According to an Indian Railway notification, senior citizens’ concession shall not be admissible to foreign nationals and NRIs with effect from September 29.
Men aged above 60 years and women over 58 are considered senior citizens entitled to concessional fares. The rebate for men is 40 per cent and for women 50 per cent.
PTI
