Don't raise age bar for concession, senior citizens urges railways

 The speculation gathered steam as previously it was decided not to bring the rail travel concession back after it was stopped during Covid.

A senior citizen group has written to the railway's ministry, requesting not to increase the cut-off age of senior citizens for travel concessions. Recently, there were reports that the government was considering increasing the cut-off age to 70 years for males and 65 years for females. The speculation gathered steam as previously it was decided not to bring the rail travel concession back after it was stopped during Covid.

The senior citizen group has said that the average life expectancy for males is less than 70 years as per 'SRS (sample registration system) Based Abridged Life Tables, 2015-19', which was recently released by the registrar general and census commissioner's office. As per the SRS report, the national average stood at 69.7 but for males, it was 68.4 while for females it was 71.1.

Prior to the pandemic, the cut-off age for the concession was 60 for men or transgender, and 58 for women. Concessions were given in all classes in the basic fare of mail and express trains; not to mention, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and Duronto group of trains. The concession was 40 per cent for men or transgender and 50 per cent for women. The concessions were not admissible in passenger trains.

Silver Innings Group, an NGO working for issues of senior citizens, has asked Union minister of state for railways Raosaheb Danve to reconsider the decision. “We have written to the government to reconsider the issue based on the data received through RTI and SRS report. The standing committee has said that the concessions should be restored,” said Silver Linings Group founder president Sailesh Mishra.

As per RTI's reply to Mishra, the number of senior citizens, who availed concessions in the three-year period before the pandemic, is 11.11 crore in 2017-18, 12.02 crore in 2018-19 and 12.07 crore in 2019-20. In the same period, the revenue missed due to concessions stood at Rs 1,492 crore for 2017-18, Rs 1,636 crore for 2018-19 and Rs 1,667 crore for 2019-20.

Asserting that the decision to stop concession during the pandemic was reasonable as the railways were financially-hit, Mishra reasoned, “But, now things have opened up and trains have been restored to their original schedule. It is a huge loss for senior citizens in urban and rural areas as railways are the fastest and cheapest mode of transport for them.” If public employees and elected representatives can get relief in their travel, why should senior citizens not get any relief? Earlier, the age difference was five to seven years between husband and wife. If a male will not be able to travel, how will a female go? Because the cut-off excludes most males as per their age, people in rural areas will suffer more, Mishra underscored.

Sailesh Mishra from NGO working for the elderly said, "We have written to the government to reconsider the issue based on the data. If public employees and elected representatives can get relief in their travel, why should senior citizens not get any relief?

Post courtesy : https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-dont-raise-age-bar-for-concession-senior-citizens-urges-railways 

#Silverinnings #Seniorcitizens #Railways #India #Discount #Concession #Pandemic #Oldage #SaileshMishra 

Remember Me Podcast: Rail no Way to Seniors - RTI

Indian railways have discontinued concession for Senior Citizens since 20th March 2020, let's get insight and our demand and RTI Reply

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4bBVGq7DBFq2VhaPEu2ZXt?si=0XDm1v1NTmSS0KSbvx0-ww

Episode 3: Rail no Way to Seniors - RTI

What Senior citizens Got From Rail Budget 2015

Senior Citizens population rise is on fast track and all government machinery, country's infrastructure, community services, communication, financial, health and social sector should also match up the demand from such growing Silver Population. 


#‎RailBudget2015‬ ‪#‎Railwaybudget‬ was interesting and awaited by all, as it was first rail budget of #Modisarkar, and high expectation from all quarters of society. There seems to be no appeasement but a progressive step ahead.

We at Silver Inning Foundation have been advocating for Rights, Dignity and Security of our Elders and we had demanded from Railway Minister #SureshPrabhu that  ‪#‎seniorcitizens‬ wants equal gender right and concession in fare; they need special coach in local suburban trains; need Elevators, rams, battery operated vehicle, baggage trolley on stations; want lower berths for reservations; more pilgrimage special trains; diet food; First Aids and medical care; easy and friendly road transport from stations, shuttle bus service and elder friendly design and architecture.

And we were happy that Railbudget has met some of our important demands.


Following are announcement which will help Seniors of this country, while making their trian travel comfortable:

Direct Benefit :
Any senior citizen or pregnant woman who's travelled by Indian Railways can attest to the difficulty in getting a lower seat berth while booking tickets, something that only gets more difficult once the train has been boarded. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu seems to have heard their plea and with his first railway budget made it easier for them to get berths that they can get into much more easily.
Prabhu announced that the number of lower berth seats reserved for senior citizens and pregnant women in every coach so that they have a higher chance of getting it while buying the ticket.
The minister also said that ticket examiners would be instructed to help senior citizens and pregnant women, who weren't alloted lower berths during the reservation process. Middle bay of coaches to be reserved for women and senior citizen.

The Railway Minister also said that they planned to allow senior citizens to reserve wheelchairs at stations before they arrived there so that they could be assisted in getting to trains. In order to make it easier for them to cross platforms, he said that the railways would work on increasing the number of elevators and escalators across stations.

The Minister also announced a slew of measures for the physically challenged, including better access to railway stations, Braille lettering on coaches and availablility of wheelchair facilities for them as well.

Lifts and escalators have been planned at major stations to facilitate easy movement of the elderly and differentlyabled passengers. An amount of Rs. 120 crore has been Page 21 of 53 provided for this purpose which is about 76% more than the final allotment in the current year. All newly manufactured coaches will henceforth be Braille enabled and Rail Coach Factory has been asked to explore the possibility of building wider entrances for the ease of differently-abled passengers.


Newly manufactured coaches will be Braille enabled; building wider entrances for the ease of differently-abled passengers

Accordingly, appropriation to the Pension Fund has been increased to Rs. 29,540 crore in RE


Indirect Benefit:  

No raise in fare 

Introducing 'Operation Five Minutes' to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within five minutes. 

Issuing unreserved tickets on smart phones.

Food can be ordered through the IRCTC website at the time of booking of tickets. 

Proposed to introduce an "SMS Alert" service to inform passengers in advance the updated arrival/departure time of trains at starting or destination stations. Similarly SMS alert would be sent 15/30 minutes in advance of arrival of the train at the destination.

Hand-held terminals will now be provided to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs), which can be used for verification of passengers and downloading charts.

Online booking of retiring rooms has already been initiated. The facility of self-operated lockers would also gradually be made available at stations. It is proposed to provide concierge services through the IRCTC at major stations for the assistance of passengers for their pick up and drop.

To replace the present ladders used for climbing upper berths, which are uncomfortable with user friendly ones. We have approached the National Institute of Design for this purpose. Folding ladder would be made available in coaches for easy climbing.

 

IRCTC will work on Kisan Yatra, a special travel scheme.

But we were unhappy with #AGEDiscrimination in self-employment, promotion of products made by Self Help Groups. What Minister proposed:

To encourage self-employment, we will promote products made by Self Help Groups, consisting mainly of women and youth. Konkan Railway (KR) has already launched this programme in three states during the past three months. KR expects to generate employment for approximately 50,000 persons from this scheme in the next few years.

We at Silver Inning Foundation, raise our objection on age discrimination, and make this proposal for 'All Ages'. 

 

On the whole the budget seems to bring smile on Seniors, but still lots to be done, hope this is a step ahead, for many more good things to happen for our 60 plus population. 

 

Waiting now for #Budget2015 .....

 

 

Sailesh Mishra, Founder President, Silver Innings Group