Izzat scheme is the 'humane' face of Railways

The Railways Minister who promised to put forth a 'humane' face of the Railways has indeed managed to do that.



But one scheme that invokes pride in the new government is the 'Izzat' (Dignity) Scheme.

Introducing the new scheme to the Lok Sabha, Mamata banerjee said, "I want that every person should travel on our railways with dignity."

The Scheme which is aimed at easing the financial difficulties of the workers in the unorganized sector ensures that the people who fall under this category can travel up to 100 kms with a monthly ticket of Rs 25.

These tickets are available without a surcharge to the members of the unorganized sector with monthly income not exceeding Rs 1,500.

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According to official figures, out of the 1.06 billion people, about 1.7 million people travel by trains everyday. Even though most of us would like to believe that India is really 'shining', the facts are different. About 25 per cent of the huge population still living below poverty line (BPL). Therefore, a move like this is bound to make a lot of difference in a country that carries an economy that is characterized by a huge divide between the 'haves' and 'have nots'.

The former Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav had introduced the Garib Raths, that allowed the poor to avail train tickets at 25 per cent lower price. The garib raths that provide chariots for the poor man shot up in popularity.

Since the current budget proposed nothing on the increasing the number of Garib Raths which was one of the expectations, there is a common perception of seeing the new Izzat scheme as a response to the Raths.

Keeping the political melodrama aside, the bottom line is that by introducing a scheme in an effort to provide Izzat or dignity to the poor, the world's largest railways has truly put forth a 'humane' face.