MP Vaddiraju appeals to restore railway journalists’ subsidy scheme

Khammam: Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra has urged the central government to restore the railway journalists’ subsidy scheme.

He said that most of the journalists belong to the lower- and middle-income groups and travel by train every day as part of their duties.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Vaddiraju urged the Railway Ministry to help them by reintroducing the subsidy scheme that was lifted due to Covid and not putting a financial burden on them.

He recalled that journalists and their associations have been appealing to the central government for the past three years to restore the 50% subsidy on rail travel as in the past.

The MP said that it is right and proper to provide 50% concession in railway tickets to journalists who are providing valuable services to the society as the fourth pillar of the democratic system.

Later, he met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav at his chamber in Parliament and handed over a memorandum to this effect, to which the latter responded positively and gave appropriate instructions to the officials.