Sena, Nao Sena, Vayu Sena gallantry awardees get lifetime rail travel facility
Indian Railways extends lifetime complimentary travel to eligible Armed Forces gallantry awardees. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has moved to implement lifetime complimentary railway travel for recipients of the Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and Vayu Sena Medal awarded for gallantry, extending the benefit across Indian Railways. Eligible beneficiaries will be able to travel in First Class, Second AC and AC Chair Car.
The facility covers gallantry awardees and eligible family members, including spouses, widows or widowers until remarriage and parents of unmarried personnel who received the award posthumously. Eligible beneficiaries can also travel with one companion.
The Indian Army said beneficiaries can register through the Indian Railway Concession Card Portal (IRCCP), following which their eligibility will be authenticated and electronic passes generated. Booking against the e-passes through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) web portal is scheduled to begin from November 1.
The concession applies specifically to the gallantry category of the three service medals. Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and Vayu Sena Medal are associated with the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force respectively, and are also awarded separately for devotion to duty. Recipients in the devotion to duty category are not covered by the rail-travel entitlement.
The three service-specific gallantry medals continue to form a significant part of India’s military honours. On the eve of Republic Day this year, the president approved 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), among 70 gallantry awards cleared for Armed Forces personnel.
The underlying sanction was issued earlier this year, with the government announcing in March that recipients of the three service specific gallantry medals would be brought within the complimentary railway travel scheme. The latest step establishes the digital process through which eligible beneficiaries will access the concession.
Indian Railways already provides complimentary travel facilities to recipients of the Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra, as well as the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra under existing rules. The addition of the Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and Vayu Sena Medal gallantry categories broadens the group of armed forces gallantry awardees covered by the railway benefit.
From November 1, authenticated beneficiaries will be able to use the paperless system to book eligible journeys through the IRCTC portal.
