Insight Bureau: The Railways has generated an additional revenue of over Rs 1,500 crore from senior citizen travellers in two years since March 2020, when the assistance was suspended after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, an RTI response has found.
In its reply to a Right to Information query filed by Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur, the Railways said that between March 20, 2020 and March 31, 2022, the Railways did not offer concessions to 7.31 crore senior citizen travellers.
These included 4.46 crore males over the age of 60, 2.84 crore females over 58 and 8,310 transgender people.
The total revenue from senior citizen travellers during the period is Rs 3,464 crore, which includes an additional Rs 1,500 crore earned due to the suspension of the concession, according to the RTI response.
Over the last two decades, the railways concessions have been a much-discussed topic with multiple committees recommending their withdrawal. As a result of this, in July 2016, the Railways made the concession for the elderly optional.
The Railways incurs a huge burden of around Rs 2,000 crore every year due to around 53 types of concessions it offers to various kinds of passengers.