Budget 2024: In India, before Covid, senior citizens were given 40 to 50 per cent discount on train tickets, but this discount was abolished at the time of Covid. Even after the fear of Covid ended in the country and the world, the government has not restarted this exemption.
Now senior citizens are demanding up to 50 percent discount on train tickets in the budget. He is hoping that the government will start giving him this relaxation again. Elections are going to be held in the country after the budget next year, so it is expected that this time the government can announce discount in train tickets for senior citizens in the budget.
Exemption was available till the end of 2019
In India, IRCTC used to offer concessional fares in all categories of special express trains for senior citizens. Till the end of 2019, IRCTC used to provide fare concession to senior citizens above 60 years of age and female senior passengers aged 58 years and above on train tickets of Duronto, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Mail and Express trains. While male senior citizens were eligible for a concession of 40 per cent, female senior citizens could avail 50 per cent discount on train tickets.
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Demand of senior citizens to get discount on train tickets again
By the end of 2019, senior citizens could get 40 to 50 percent discount on train ticket prices. If the first AC ticket of Rajdhani is Rs 4,000, then the senior citizen could get it for Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,300.
Then at the end of the year 2019 and the beginning of the year 2020, Covid spread in the country and the whole world, after which this service stopped being available on the ticket booking window of IRCTC. Now senior citizens are hoping that they will get this special discount again in the budget.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce in the budget
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget (Union Budget 2024) for the sixth time on 1 February 2024. Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present the last budget of the second term of the Modi government because after that Lok Sabha elections are going to be held across the country.
In such a situation, the government can make announcements to cash in on its vote bank, especially senior citizens. However, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that no major announcements will be made in the budget but the government can definitely make some special announcements for its vote bank.
