Railways announces 20% discount on round-trip tickets during festive season
New Delhi, Aug 9 (PTI): To manage surge in passengers during festivals in the later part of the year, the Railway Ministry on Saturday announced a scheme offering a 20 per cent discount on tickets booked for travel between October 13-26 and return from November 17 to December 1 from the same train.
The discount will be on tickets booked from August 14, and the rebate will not be applicable on flexi fare trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duranto, etc.
"Booking start date shall be 14.08.2025 for the ARP (Advance Reservation Period) date 13th October 2025," a press statement from the Railway Ministry said.
"Onward ticket shall be booked first for the train start date between 13th October 2025 and 26th October 2025 and subsequently return journey ticket shall be booked by using connecting journey feature for the train start date between 17th November and 1st December 2025," it added.
It clarified that the advance reservation period (ARP), which is October 13 to October 26, will not be applicable for booking the return journey.
"Under this scheme, rebates shall be applicable when booked for both onward and return journey for the same set of passengers. Passenger details of return journey will be same as of onward journey," it said.
"The above booking shall be permissible only for confirmed tickets in both directions. Total rebates of 20% shall be granted on base fare of return journey only," the Ministry added.
It stated that booking under this scheme shall be for the same class and same origin-destination pair for both the onward and return journey.
"No refund of fare shall be permissible for the tickets booked under this scheme," the press note clarified.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee falls 32 paise to all-time low of 95.20 against US dollar
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI): The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India's import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.
ALSO READ: Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
"The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently," Bhansali added.
