Restore fare concessions offered to senior citizens in railways: Kejriwal to PM Modi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore the fare concessions offered to senior citizens by the railways.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore the fare concessions offered to senior citizens by the railways.

In a letter to the Prime Minister on Saturday last, he said the Centre has a budget of ₹45 lakh crore and it would incur a cost of ₹1,600 crore if it extends the concession to senior citizens.

Terming the amount as a drop in the ocean, he said the government will not become rich by not spending the amount.

By stopping the facility a message was being given to senior citizens that the government did not care for them which was against the culture of the country, he said, adding that no person, society or country can progress without the blessings of the elderly. 

Delhi was seeing progress in all areas due to the blessings of the elderly for whom free pilgrimage of religious places has been arranged by his government, he said.

The Centre had in 2020 discontinued the concessions granted to senior citizens to discourage the movement of the public to arrest the spread of COVID-19.

A parliamentary standing committee has recently recommended the resumption of the fare concession offered to senior citizens by the railways.