In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged him to restore the railway fare concession for senior citizens, saying no society and nation can progress with out the blessings of its aged.
Drop within the ocean: Kejriwal
Kejriwal mentioned the Centre has a funds of Rs 45 lakh crore and would incur a price of Rs 1600 crore, which was only a “drop in the ocean”, if it extends the concession to senior citizens.
It was “unfortunate” to terminate the rail ticket concession scheme for the aged and financial constraints can’t be the explanation for it, he mentioned and cited his authorities spending Rs 50 crore within the annual funds on a scheme for free pilgrimage.
“Please do not stop the concession given to the elderly in the railways. Crores of elderly people are benefiting from this concession,” Kejriwal, who despatched the letter on Saturday, tweeted.
By stopping the power, a message was being given to senior citizens that the federal government didn’t care for them which was towards the tradition of the nation, he mentioned, including that no particular person, society or nation can progress with out the blessings of the aged.
Delhi was seeing progress in all areas due to the blessings of the aged for whom free pilgrimage of spiritual locations has been organized by his authorities, he mentioned.
“Please restore the concession to the elderly in the railways, crores of elderly people were benefiting from this scheme: Our progress is possible only with the blessings of our elders, but we often become arrogant that whatever we have achieved in life is the result of our hard work alone,” Kejriwal wrote to the prime minister, interesting him for restoration of fifty per cent rebate to aged in railway fare.
The Centre had in 2020 discontinued the concessions granted to senior citizens to discourage the motion of the general public to arrest the unfold of COVID-19. Kejriwal additionally mentioned that the explanation cited by the central authorities to cease the scheme was its monetary implications and added that in actuality, this doesn’t make any sense.
“Monetary constraints cannot be the reason for stopping this concession. This is about intentions. By paying Rs 50 crore for the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra scheme from its annual state budget of Rs 70,000 crore, the Delhi Government does not become poor. The central government recently cited in Lok Sabha that it was spending Rs 1600 crore on the railway concession for senior citizens. The budget presented by the Central Government this year was of Rs 45 lakh crore. This cost of the railway concession is just a drop in the ocean,” he mentioned.
Saving such a small sum of money by inconveniencing crores of the aged is not going to be useful to the nation, Kejriwal mentioned.
“By saving Rs 1600 crore annually in such a manner, the Central government will not become rich. Nor will it become poor by spending this amount on our elderly citizens,” he mentioned
A parliamentary standing committee lately really helpful the resumption of the fare concession to senior citizens by the railways. The Indian Railways used to provide a 40 per cent low cost in fares to males aged 60 years or above and a 50 per cent low cost was given to females with a minimal age of 58 years.
These concessions have been granted in fares of all lessons of Mail/Express/Rajdhani/ Shatabdi/Duranto group of trains however have been withdrawn on March 20, 2020.
The Railways, nonetheless, mentioned it had no instant plans to resume the concession.
(PTI enter)
