New service will also make waitlisted tickets a thing of the past.
While suburban fares remain unchanged, ordinary non-AC, non-suburban fares were increased by 1 paise per km of journey. The Railways also announced a two-paise/km hike in fares of mail/express non-AC trains and four- paise/km hike in the fares of AC classes. The fare hike is also applicable to premium trains such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto.
The system is available for online ticketing now but it will be extended to over the counter sale also as the required software is being readied for the purpose.
Though there was no fare hike proposal in the Rail Budget this time, passengers will have to cough up more for travelling on new trains with added facilities in the coming days.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Monday called Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann the 'most protected CM' as he took on the Aam Aadmi Party government over the law and order situation in the state and also claimed that his security has been pruned.
According to Mitra, items such as foodgrain, vegetables, leather goods, footwear, cottage cheese, puffed and flattened rice, books and entertainment tax, among several others, should be in the zero-tax bracket.
Here's the full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's customary address to the joining sitting of Parliament on the first day of the budget session.
Back in time, one of Gandhi's co-travellers, too, sat through the day at the Central station at Madras watching passengers pay bribes to procure their tickets.
