As demand for restoring discounts arose in the Parliament on Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded that Indian Railways provided a 46 per cent rebate on every ticket. Total subsidies offered to passengers amounted to Rs 56,993 crore every year, added the minister.
“A total of Rs 56,993 crore subsidy is given every year by the Indian Railways to all classes of passengers,” Vaishnaw said during the Question Hour. The minister also clarified that for a ticket priced at Rs 100, Indian Railways charges just Rs 54—a 46 per cent discount.
Back in March 2020, railways removed discounts offered on train fares to senior citizens and women, citing pandemic regulations. Four years since, the 50 per cent discount for female senior citizens and 40 per cent discount for male and transgender senior citizens is yet to be restored.
During the budget season earlier this year, Vaishnaw remarked that restoring concessions would add to the central government’s financial burden.
Among other questions the railway minister answered this winter session, it was revealed that Gujarat gained with the “Namo Bharat Rapid Rail” while Kerala hit yet another roadblock with the K-Rail project.
The Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Bhuj and Ahmedabad covers 359km in 5 hours 45 minutes and was lauded by passengers for its superior service, according to the minister.
However, in a written reply to Congress MP Hibi Eden on the K-Rail project, Vaishnaw confirmed that the Silver Line planned through the length of the state from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod was not yet sanctioned due to deficiencies in the project report.
The Indian Railways earned a whopping Rs 12,159 crore in September and October alone this year.
According to Vaishnaw, who presented the data in the parliament last week, 143.71 crore people travelled in the two months, with 31.63 crore passengers transiting in the Central Railways zone alone. On account of the festival season, Indian Railways notified 7,983 special train trips from October 1 through November 30, added the minister.