Translation (E&OE)

No seniors discount, cost at selfie booth

Railways reluctant to return discount on tickets for senior passengers due to financial loss. However, they are spending money to install '3-D selfie booths'...
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with the Prime Minister's photo at various stations across the country.
Retired railway official Ajay Bose recently sought to know how much money is being spent per station to set up selfie booths with cutouts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at various stations, through the Right to Information Act. Want to know, where, how many booths are being installed. In response to the question of the former railway boss, Abhay Mishra, Deputy General Manager of Madhya-Rail said that the cost of installation of permanent 3-D selfie booths is Rs 6.25 lakhs each and Rs 1.25 lakhs for temporary booths.

By posting this informative news clipping, Congress leader Pawan Khera stoked controversy on the X handle, saying on Wednesday, "Railways have earned Rs 2,242 crore in the last two years by scrapping concessions on senior tickets. Now we can see where that money is going."
According to the Right to Information Act, other railway zones have been asked for information in this regard, but no one except Central Railway has responded to all the queries. North-South and Western-Rail did not want to divulge any numbers in response to queries on the matter. Railways alone spent Rs 1.62 crore in that sector.
Apparently there was growing uneasiness within the railways over the issue. In selected stations across the country in all divisions as part of the promotion of various government projects for the past few months

A selfie booth featuring cut outs of the Prime Minister sits. Apart from railway workers, ordinary passengers are encouraged to take selfies with the Prime Minister's photo and post it on various social media.
Selfie booths are being installed in almost all the important railway zones - 10 stations per division.
Apart from this, temporary booths are also being set up at various stations. Mid-Rail alone spent Rs 1.62 crore in that sector. The booths are located in several stations of Eastern Railway including Asansol, Burdwan, Naihati, Barrackpore, Kolkata, Sonarpur in the state. Like other zones, it has been cited at the cost of railways. However, officials are tight-lipped about the justification or amount of the expenditure. They avoided the matter as an instruction from 'upstairs

3D #SelfiePoint