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| - Social media users are sharing posts related to a 'Senior Citizen Train Ticket Exemption' scheme, claiming that the Indian Railways (IR) has introduced a new policy, giving those aged 58 and above up to 50 percent off on their train tickets.
It adds several points from this alleged policy, providing different rates of concession for different seat classes for senior citizens.
The post also mentions the benefits of booking under this policy, such as availing medical assistance, getting priority berth allocation, and wheelchairs.
How did we find out the truth?: We started by running a keyword search with the term 'Senior Citizen Train Ticket Exemption', but did not find any credible reports confirming the existence of this scheme or policy.
The policy providing a discount for senior citizens on their tickets was suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
There were no recent announcements, notices, or circulars indicating that it had been reinstated.
Responding to a question in the Parliament by CPI(M) leader S Venkatesan's query about reinstating this discount on 30 March 2022, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that IR was providing three types of concessions.
These were limited to four categories of people with disabilities, eleven categories of patients, and students.
"Cost of granting concessions weigh heavily on Railways, hence extending the scope of concessions to all categories of passengers including senior citizens is not desirable at present," Vaishnaw said.
In April 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed seeking reinstatement for these concessions for senior citizens, among others, as reported by several news organisations, including The Economic Times.
The issue was raised in parliament again in November 2024 by BJP leader Babubhai Desai.
In his response, Vaishnaw said that IR provided an average of a 46 percent concession for every traveller, but did not specify anything about reintroducing the senior citizens' concession.
Lastly, the 2025-26 Union Budget also does not state any schemes or policies which provide concessions for senior citizens while traveling by train.
Conclusion: A false claim about senior citizens being given concessions by the Indian Railways has gone viral.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
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