Railways’ expenses high, concessions given to senior citizens may not be restored: Railway Minister

way2barak, Dec.14: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has hinted that concessions given to senior citizens may not be restored as of now. Vaishnaw said ₹59,000 crore passenger subsidy was given last year, which is larger than some states’ annual budget. Vaishnaw was responding to a question by independent MP from Maharashtra Navneet Rana in Lok Sabha on when the concessions given to the senior citizens in train travel will be restored.

The concessions given to senior citizens has been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also said that Railways’ annual pension bill stood at ₹60,000 crore, while salary bill and fuel expense were ₹97,000 crore and ₹40,000 crore, respectively.