Free bus travel for women above 60 soon?

NEW DELHI: Union minister Maneka Gandhi has proposed free bus travel for women over 60 years, a move which could benefit more than 53 million people in the country. At present, senior citizens — people above 60 years of age — enjoy several travel concessions besides other benefits given by the central and state governments.

In a letter to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, the minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi has requested him to make provisions in the upcoming budget and announce it as a welfare measure for women.

“If you could empower these women by allowing free bus travel for women over 60 years, it would… give them a sense of purpose and freedom,” Gandhi said in her letter, copies of which were also sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and road transport minister Nitin Gadkari.

According to Census 2011, India has 103 million senior citizens out of which the number of women is 53 million.

Currently, the railway ministry provides 30% concession to male senior citizens and 50% to female senior citizens while Indian Airlines gives 50% discount to males over 65 years and females over 63 years.

The finance ministry also gives income tax rebate upto an income of `1.85 lakh per annum and higher rate of interest on saving schemes for senior citizens.