No proposal to link Aadhaar with Railway passes: Govt

New Delhi: The government currently has no proposal to link Aadhaar numbers with railway passes, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu informed Parliament on Friday.

"At present, there is no such proposal" to link Aadhar with railway passes, Prabhu said in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour while responding to a query on the issue by TMC member Vivek Gupta.

The government is in the process of putting in place an Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to ensure that employees and pensioners of Railways are able to book tickets online through any portal, he said.

Stating that railway pass holders at present do not have online facility to book tickets, the Minister said "we have started the job. We are working on Human Resources Management System (HRMS). Once this is ready, pass holders will be able to book tickets online."

There are 16,360 officers in Group A and B categories and 13,12,449 officers in Group C and D categories in the Railways. Passes are issued based on the basic pay.

Gazetted railway officers are given six sets of privilege passes in a year and the non-gazetted railway employees get one set of privilege pass up to end of fifth year of railway service and thereafter three sets a year, he said.

Employees of non-railway departments appointed on deputation to posts on Indian Railways and officers and staff of Railway Audit Department are also provided privilege passes compared to the railway employees of equal status, he added.

To a supplementary by Ripun Bora (INC) on delay in getting reimbursement after a train is cancelled, Prabhu said there is a procedure already put in place for this purpose.

To another query about providing the same facilities to both pass holders and those who buy tickets from the counters, the Minister said the two issues are different.

He said that monthly seasonal tickets can be purchased through four ways -- online, over the counter, ticket vending machines and mobile Apps. This facility is for everyone.

He also said it was not feasible to quantify the overall cost incurred on issuing of tickets through Passenger Reservation System counters and through the online mode.