No, Indian Railways Has Not Reinstated Concessions for Senior Citizens
Social media users are sharing posts related to a 'Senior Citizen Train Ticket Exemption' scheme, claiming that the Indian Railways (IR) has introduced a new policy, giving those aged 58 and above up to 50 percent off on their train tickets.
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It adds several points from this alleged policy, providing different rates of concession for different seat classes for senior citizens.
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The post also mentions the benefits of booking under this policy, such as availing medical assistance, getting priority berth allocation, and wheelchairs.
An archived version of this post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
(Archived versions of more claims on social media can be seen here and here.)
Is it true?: No, the viral claim is false.
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Indian Railways had suspended the senior citizens' concession in 2020 and has not reinstated it since.
How did we find out the truth?: We started by running a keyword search with the term 'Senior Citizen Train Ticket Exemption', but did not find any credible reports confirming the existence of this scheme or policy.
The policy providing a discount for senior citizens on their tickets was suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The policy was discontinued in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Source: IRCTC/Screenshot)
There were no recent announcements, notices, or circulars indicating that it had been reinstated.
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Responding to a question in the Parliament by CPI(M) leader S Venkatesan's query about reinstating this discount on 30 March 2022, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that IR was providing three types of concessions.
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These were limited to four categories of people with disabilities, eleven categories of patients, and students.
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"Cost of granting concessions weigh heavily on Railways, hence extending the scope of concessions to all categories of passengers including senior citizens is not desirable at present," Vaishnaw said.
The minister said that they would not be reinstating the senior citizens' discount.
(Source: Digital Sansad/Screenshot)
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In April 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed seeking reinstatement for these concessions for senior citizens, among others, as reported by several news organisations, including The Economic Times.
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The issue was raised in parliament again in November 2024 by BJP leader Babubhai Desai.
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In his response, Vaishnaw said that IR provided an average of a 46 percent concession for every traveller, but did not specify anything about reintroducing the senior citizens' concession.
Vaishnaw did not mention any concessions for senior citizens.
(Source: Digital Sansad/Screenshot)
Lastly, the 2025-26 Union Budget also does not state any schemes or policies which provide concessions for senior citizens while traveling by train.
Conclusion: A false claim about senior citizens being given concessions by the Indian Railways has gone viral.
(This story was originally published by thequint.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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EC role, Hindu vote consolidation among factors for BJP win in Bengal polls: J-K CM Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday attributed the BJP's West Bengal win to a "significant role" played by the Election Commission (EC), alongside a consolidation of Hindu votes and a fractured minority mandate.
Abdullah also said the INDIA bloc needs to define its role in the political landscape of the country and make it clear whether the opposition alliance was limited to the parliamentary elections or extended to the state elections as well.
Talking to PTI Videos, Abdullah hinted that the EC has compromised its neutrality by conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal and linked it to the BJP's gains in the state, claiming large-scale deletion of legitimate voters.
On the performance of the BJP in the just concluded assembly elections, Abdullah said the saffron party has almost nothing to show in southern states.
"So then you look at West Bengal and Assam. Yes, the BJP improved its tally in Assam. There are various reasons for that. You know as well as I do, what those are. West Bengal, I think we need to look at the results very carefully," he said.
"The easiest explanation for the West Bengal result is the serious curtailing of voter list," Abdullah said.
"Voters found their names deleted. People who served in uniform and fought for this country on the borders, who were considered Indian citizens all their lives, were suddenly held to a higher standard and not allowed to vote. Something is not right," he said.
While alleging that the EC played a "significant part" in the results, the chief minister admitted the outcome was multifaceted and noted a consolidation of over 60 per cent of the Hindu vote towards the BJP and a "significant fracture" in the minority vote, particularly in seats where Muslims constitute over 50 per cent of the population.
"There is no doubt that the role of the Election Commission played a significant part in the results but we will also have to look at the other factors," he said.
He said the results of West Bengal cannot be compared to those in other states. "The situation was unique to West Bengal. The SIR that was done, the way in which the voter lists were changed, the sort of minute scrutiny that the Election Commission subjected West Bengal to, the role of the central investigative agencies.
"All of these are situations that at least in recent electoral history of India are unique to West Bengal. So to suggest that we can learn lessons from West Bengal and implement them in other parts of the country, I think would not be correct," he said.
Abdullah had recently said that if the West Bengal results throw a surprise, the role of EC will come under scrutiny.
However, during Tuesday's interview, the chief minister said he still maintains that electronic voting machines (EVMs) do not lead to vote theft.
"What we saw in West Bengal...I know there are a lot of people who believe that the EVMs themselves are flawed. I am not a proponent of that conspiracy theory.
"But I do believe that the Election Commission has done itself no favours in the way in which it has gone about both the process of delimitation and the process of finalisation of electoral rolls," he said and cited the example of delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir or Assam.
"These are clear examples of how the process was done to benefit one party or in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, one party and its allies. And the results speak for themselves. You created seven new seats in Jammu and Kashmir and out of those six seats were won by the BJP. You redrew assembly constituencies to benefit one particular party or its allies. And the same is true for West Bengal as well," he said.
Referring to the INIDA bloc, he said the election results were no new message for the alliance.
"We need to decide what the INDIA bloc is for. Is it only for Parliament or for state elections as well?" he asked.
"What happened in West Bengal is unfortunate. The Congress and TMC fought against each other. Now the Congress agrees with Mamata Banerjee that 100 seats were stolen, but the fact is they fought each other," he said.
Despite the friction, Abdullah reaffirmed the "pre-eminent position" of the Congress within the opposition alliance, dismissing the idea of any other party assuming the mantle.
"The Congress is the only party other than the BJP with a pan-India presence. All of us acknowledge this," he stated.
"To suggest someone else can assume a leadership role would be incorrect. Kharge Sahib is the president of the Congress, and by virtue of that, he assumes leadership of the INDIA bloc meetings. That is the way it should be," the chief minister said.
Abdullah said any 'Common Minimum Programme' would depend on whether the opposition alliance decides to fight state assembly elections collectively, noting that he would share his specific views with the bloc internally rather than through the media.
