Concession on Indian Railways alongwith element of Concession in Rail Fares – General Rules and list of Different categories of persons
GENERAL RULES FOR CONCESSION
At present concession is admissible to 4 categories of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of Patients and 8 categories of Students as per the detailed rules, procedures, entitlement, purposes, etc contained under different serial numbers in IRCA Coaching Tariff, Part I (Vol. II), which is available on the Indian Railways Website, which can be reached as follows:
www.indianrailways.gov.in โ Ministry of Railways โ Railway Board โ About Indian Railways โ Railway Board Directorates โ Efficiency & Research โ IRCA โ Publications โ Sl no. 5 โ COACHING TARIFF NO. 26. PART.I (VOL.II)
The detailed updated general Guidelines for concession are as under:
1. (a) All concessional fares shall be calculated on the basis of basic fares for Mail/Express trains irrespective of the type of train, i.e. Mail or Express or Passenger, by which the passenger travels.
(b) Concession shall not be granted for any journey the cost of which is borne by the Central or State Government or a local authority or a Statutory body or a Corporation or a Government Undertaking or a University. However, the students participating in the tournaments held or recognized by the schools or universities will be eligible for the concession.
(c) Concession shall be admissible only in respect of basic fares. No concession is admissible in respect of other charges, viz. superfast surcharge, reservation fee, etc.
(d) The concessions will be admissible subject to the minimum distance of 300 Kms, except in the case of students, Persons with Blindness, Orthopaedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons who cannot travel without escort, TB and Cancer patients, Kidney patients, non-infectious leprosy patients, Persons with Intellectual Disability who cannot travel without an escort, thalassemia major disease patients, Heart, Haemophilia Patients and their escorts, wherever admissible under the rules, in whose case the above mentioned distance restriction will not apply. However, the distance restrictions otherwise applicable to general public for travel in each individual train will apply for issue of concessional tickets also.
2. Only one type of concession is admissible at a time at the choice of passenger and no person is allowed two or more concessions simultaneously.
3. (a) Break of journey en-route shall not be allowed on a concession ticket for a journey for a specific purpose viz. a student travelling to/from an examination Centre, a Cancer patient travelling to/from a hospital, etc. It is allowed only where a break of journey is a natural event.
(b) Passengers breaking their journey are required to have their ticket endorsed from the Station Master where journey is broken.
(c) Passengers terminating journey en route, must surrender their ticket at the station where the journey is terminated. Refund for the untravelled portion on such tickets will not be allowed.
4. Concession on Indian Railway will be admissible on production of the requisite certificate from the concerned Person/Organization in India and the documents issued by persons/organizations in other countries shall not be valid for the purpose of concession.
5. The holder of a concession ticket is not permitted to change the ticket to a higher class even by paying the difference of actual fares. However, the categories of persons eligible for concession in first class (and not in AC 2-tier) can purchase tickets for AC 2-tier sleeper also on payment of the first class concessional fare plus difference of actual fares of AC 2-tier sleeper & first class.
6. Save as otherwise specifically provided, concession is not admissible in season tickets, Circular Journey tickets, prestigious trains like Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Gatimaan, Garib Rath, Special trains, Humsafar etc.
7. All the concessions are to be granted across the counters at Stations/ Reservation Offices/Booking Offices only (In case of Persons with Disabilties where the eligible PWD as per Rule have Railway Divyangjan ID card can also book tickets online). If some person enters the train without ticket or without proper ticket or extends journey on concession ticket or changes the concession to higher class, etc., he shall not be granted any concession in train, even if he is otherwise eligible for it under the rules.
LIST OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PERSONS GARNTED CONCESSION ON INDIAN RAILWAYS ALONGWITH ELEMENT OF CONCESSION
| S. No. | CATEGORY OF PERSONS | PERCENTAGE OF CONCESSION |
| I | Person with Disabilities (Divyangjan) | |
| 1 | Orthopaedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons who cannot travel without escort – for any purpose |
|
| 2 | Persons with Intellectual Disability who cannot travel without an escort – for any purpose (w.e.f 01.06.2025) | |
| 3 | Persons with Blindness travelling alone or with an escort
– for any purpose, where “Blindness” means a condition where a person has any of the following conditions, after best correctionโ (i) Total absence of sight; or (ii) Visual acuity less than 3/60 (or less than 10/200) by Snellen’s chart in better eye with best possible corrections; or (iii) Limitation of field of vision subtending an angle of less than 10 degree in better eye Equivalent to visual impairment of 90% and above |
|
| 4 | Person with hearing and speech impairment totally (both afflictions together in the same person) travelling alone or with an escort – for any purpose. |
|
| II | Patients | |
| 5 | Cancer patients travelling alone or with an escort for treatment/periodic check-up. |
|
| 6 | Thalassemia patients travelling alone or with escort for treatment/periodic check-up |
|
| 7 | Heart patients travelling alone or with an escort for heart surgery | |
| 8 | Kidney patients travelling alone or with an escort for kidney transplant Operation/ Dialysis | |
| 9 | Haemophilia Patients – severe & moderate form of disease – travelling alone or with an escort for treatment/periodical check up |
|
| 10 | T.B./Lupas Valgaris patients travelling alone or with an escort for treatment/periodical check-up |
|
| 11 | Non-infectious Leprosy patients – for treatment/ periodical check-up |
|
| 12 | AIDS patients – for treatment/check-up at nominated ART Centres. |
|
| 13 | Ostomy patients – travelling for any purpose |
|
| 14 | Sickle cell Anaemia – for treatment/periodical check-up |
|
| 15 | Aplastic Anaemia – for treatment/periodical check-up |
|
| III | Students | |
| 16 | Students going to hometown & educational tours
– General Category –
– SC/ST Category – |
|
| – Girls up to Graduation
– Boys up to 12th standard (including students of Madrasa) between home & school |
Free second class MST | |
| 17 | Students of Govt. schools in rural areas โ for study tour – once a year. | 75% in 2nd class |
| 18 | Entrance exam – Girls of Govt. schools in rural areas โ for national level for medical, engineering, etc. entrance exam. | 75% in 2nd class |
| 19 | Concession to students appearing in main written examination conducted by UPSC & Central Staff Selection Commissions. | 50% in 2nd class |
| 20 | Foreign students studying in India – travelling to attend camps/seminars organised by Govt. of India and also visit to places of historical & other importance during vacations. | 50% in 2nd and SL class |
| 21 | Research scholars up to the age of 35 years โ for journeys in connection with research work. | 50% in 2nd and SL class |
| 22 | Students and non-students participating in Work Camps | 25% in 2nd and SL class |
| 23 | Cadets and Marine Engineers apprentices undergoing Navigational/Engineering training for Mercantile Marine
– for travel between home and training ship. |
50% in 2nd and SL class |
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