How to apply for concessions during the train travel?
In India, persons with disabilties are enabled to travel concessions. Here we make an attempt to understand how to apply for these concessions during travel but before that let us get a brief idea about the different concessions available for different categories of persons with disabilties.
Under the Disabled person category, Indian Railways provides 25%-75% concession for four types of disabilities, including Orthopaedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons, blind persons, mentally disabled persons, and Deaf & Dumb persons in sleeper and AC class.
In this category, travel concession is also offered to the caretaker of that person with disabilty.
We should understand few basic pointers to know about Indian Railways concessions for disabled persons
Orthopaedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons who can’t travel without escort travelling by train for any purpose acquire 75% railway concession in 2nd, SL, 1st Class, 3AC, AC chair Car, 50% in 1AC and 2AC, 25% in 3AC & AC Chair Car of Rajdhani/Shatabdi trains and 50% in MST & QST. The escort also receives the same amount of concession.
Mentally disabled persons (who can not travel with an escort), Blind persons, Deaf & Dumb persons (both anguishes together in the same person) travelling alone or with an escort for any purpose obtain 50% concession in 2nd, SL and 1st Class, 50% in MST & QST with one escort.
All the concessional fares shall be calculated on the basis of the basic railway fare for the journey. No person/party will be allowed more than one concession at one time.
The holder of a concession ticket will not be permitted to change the ticket to a higher class by paying the difference except in the case of T.B. and Cancer patient, leprosy patient, etc.
The break-up journey shall not be allowed on a concession ticket for a specific journey, for example, students travelling for an examination centre, patient travelling to/from a hospital, professor travelling from/to a conference, etc. The break journey will be allowed only if it is a natural event. During break journey, the passenger has to endorse the ticket alongwith Station Master’s initial, date and station code.
Refund of the untravelled journey on such tickets will not be allowed.
Thus, as we now have a fare idea about the concessions persons with disabilties in India are entitled for, let’s understand how to apply for these concessions during travel:
The “Concession Certificate” is the key document one needs to have in order to receive the travel concessions one is entitled for.
The concession certificate may be issued by the Station Master on collection of the certificate form and the copy of original certificate duly attested by a Gazetted Officer, M.P., M.L.A, etc. may be produced while collecting the ticket. The visually challenged person may not be present at the station for purchase of the ticket.
Once you have the “Concession Certificate”, you need to go and register yourself online at http://divyanangjanid.indianrail.gov.in post which required documents like concession certificate, form, photograph, Disability certificate, proof of date of birth, address and photo id have to be uploaded.
Once done, you can easily check and confirm whether your concession have been applied or not by downloading the Indian Railway app available on both Android & iOS platforms.
For further details please do visit :
https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,1491