Mamata offers a slew of sops

Feb 26, 2011 |

Age Correspondent

New Delhi

Tags:

Railway Budget

The Railway Budget for 2011-2012 has offered a slew of concessions to a variety of people, ranging from media to physically handicapped, to senior citizens, to women and armed forces personnel and their parents.

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee, during the presentation of the Budget, said, “It is proposed to extend the facility to the Kirti and Shaurya Chakra awardees of travelling in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. In case of unmarried posthumous Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra gallantry award winners of armed forces, it is proposed to extend the facility of card passes to the parents.”
For senior citizens, Ms Banerjee has proposed to reduce the age of women to 58 from 60 to avail concession. For men, she has increased the concession from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Making a break from the past, physically handicapped persons have been allowed to avail concessions in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains as well.
Press correspondents who were entitled to avail 50 per cent concession with family once a year have been allowed to avail it twice now. The measures announced for the welfare of the railway employees are expanded scope of liberalised active retirement scheme for guaranteed employment for safety category staff by enhancing the existing criteria of grade pay from `1,800 to `1,900, extension of medical facilities to both dependant father and mother of railway employees, increased scholar ship for the girl child of gangmen and group D employees to `1,200 per month for higher education, a Railway Vidayalya Prabhandan Board to improve the education quality in 269 railway schools.
The board would draw up a plan for enhancing the physical and educational infrastructure of these schools to be implemented within three years.
In addition, for the benefit of those residing in remote and inaccessible areas, it has been proposed to provide 20 medical road medical vans at different locations to begin with.
Moreover, 20 hostels for children of railway employees have been commissioned and another 20 would be set up next year.

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