The Ministry of Railways have decided to issue Complimentary Passes to the widows of Railway employees. The details for the operation of the Scheme are given below:
1. Date of Effect & Eligibility : The scheme of Complimentary Passes for widows of Railway employees shall be effective from 12 th March, 1987. The Scheme shall apply to the widows of all Railway employees who were/are in service on or after 12.03.1987 and expire after that date. It does not apply to the widows of Railway employees who cease to be in service prior to 12.03.1987. A Railway employee on deputation without serving his lien on the Railways during the deputation period, shall also be covered under the scheme. It, however , does not apply to those who have got permanently absorbed in public sector undertaking prior to 12.03.1987, though they might be in receipt of post-retirement Complimentary Passes.
Note : For this Scheme, a ‘Railway Servant’ shall be a person defined in Rule 2 (h) of the Railway Servants (Pass) Rules, 1986.
2. Scale : The scale of Complimentary Passes to which the widow of a Railway employee who was/is in service on or after 12.03.1987, and expires after that date, shall be, half the number of post-retirement passes that her husband was either receiving at the time of his demise after retirement or in case of death in service, would be notionally eligible to receive by reckoning the date of death as the date of retirement, provided that :
(a) The widow(s) of a Group ‘D’ Railway employee, entitled (or notionally entitled) to one set of post –retirement Complimentary Pass every alternate year, shall be entitled to one set of Complimentary Pass every alternate year, under the scheme.
(b) The widow(s) of any Railway employee who dies while in service, shall be entitled to a minimum of one set of pass every alternate year. Thus she will be eligible to one set of pass in two years, even if the service of the employee before death falls short of the requisite service prescribed for entitlement of post-retirement Complimentary Passes.
3.1 Option: It has been decided that any serving Railway employee who does not wish to avail of the facility under the scheme, would have the option not to do so. It shall be assumed that the Railway employee has opted for the scheme unless he specifically intimates in writing to the contrary, within three months from the date of issue of this Circular. Those employees who opt out of the scheme will continue to get six sets of PTOs p.a., as hithertofore, and they cannot opt for the scheme at a later date. Railway employees recruited after the date of notification of this scheme shall automatically be covered under the scheme and the question of option in their case, will not be applicable.
3.2 With the introduction of the scheme, the number of PTOs available to Railway employees who do not opt out, shall be reduced by 2 sets per year, i.e. from 6 sets of PTOs to 4 sets of PTOs per year, commencing from the Calendar year 1987.
Note: There may be a few Railway employees who ceased to be in Railway service between 12.03.1987 and the date of issue of this circular and who did not have at least 2 sets of PTOs to their credit on the date they cease to be in Railway service. In these cases, the reduction in the number of sets of PTOs does not arise.
4. Class of Entitlement: The widow shall be eligible to travel in the same class to which her husband was entitled to travel on privilege account or on retirement.
5. Opening of Pass Account – Issuing Authority – Issue of Passes etc.
5.1 Opening of Pass Account :
5.1.1. The Pass Accounts of serving Railway employees and retired Railway employees, which are being maintained at present, should be kept alive even after the death of employee/retirement from service, so that in case of their death in service or later, widows of such employees could draw their Complimentary Passes, according to their entitlement stated herein and pass accounts for the widows could be opened thereunder.
5.1.2 The total number of passes issued in a given year to the employee during his service, as per extant rules and his widow on his demise under the scheme, should not exceed his normal entitlement. For instance, if a serving employee (non-gazetted) has already availed 3 sets of passes, say by September in a given year, and dies subsequently, say in October, his widow will not be entitled to the Complimentary pass under this scheme in the same Calendar year, as grant of pass under the scheme will result in excess of the normal entitlement.
5.2 Issuing authority : The Complimentary Passes will be issued only from the office where the employee had served, prior to his demise or from the office wherefrom his post –retirement passes were being issued, including places where retired employees have settled, away from their place of retirement, and consequently changed their office for drawal of post-retirement passes.
5.3 Issue of Certificate :
5.3.1 : At the time of retirement of an employee, a certificate should be given by his office indicating his entitlement for post-retirement passes. The certificate should also be given to the widow on death of a serving employee. The certificate should include the details of eligibility for the pass by the widow in case the employee pre-deceases his spouse. The employee should be advised to preserve this certificate. A Xerox copy of this certificate should also be submitted at the time of first application for Complimentary Passes for widows as per para 5-4 below. A specimen of the certificate to be issued to Railway employees is enclosed (Annexure ‘A’.). The certificate may be got printed and issued by the Railway Administration.
5.3.2 The Railway offices wherefrom the certificates have been issued should maintain the office copy of the certificate till death of widow for purposes of reference and record.
5.4 Application for Pass :
5.4.1 :The First application for passes (as per specimen enclosed – Annexure ‘B’) from the widows should be certified by at least 2 serving employees to confirm the bonafide of the applicant and the authenticity of the particulars given in the application. The first application should be accompanied by :
(i) A Xerox copy of the Family Pension Payment Order or death certificate duly attested.
(ii) A Xerox copy of the Certificate issued by the Railway Administration at the time of the retirement of the employee or on demise of the employee, while in service, given to the widow.
(iii) Two passport size photographs each of the widow and her dependent children, and
(iv) Identity Card, if in possession (Refer para 5.5)
5.4.2 Issue of Passes : After the account is opened, passes as per entitlement, will be issued to the widows on application, in the normal prescribed form, which is in use for serving Railway employees but the application in such cases should be certified by a serving Railway employee of the Pass Issuing Office to the effect that the widow is alive.
However, on production of the Family Identity Card issued in favour of the widow personally by her, this certificate may be dispensed with. In addition, the widow should certify that she is not entitled to or availing of pass facilities on any other grounds.
5.5 Family Identity Card
5.5.1 : To ensure proper identification and avoid misuse, the widows should be given Identity Cards, as per specimen enclosed (Annexure ‘C’), with their photographs as well as photographs of their dependent children, who are eligible to be included in the Complimentary Pass, duly attested. The photographs will be furnished by the widows and they should be attested by a Gazetted Officer.
5.5.2 The Identity Cards may be got centrally printed giving serial machine number, by the respective Railway Administration and distributed to the different Railway Offices under their administrative control wherefrom the employee retires/deceases for issue. An account of the Identity Cards so distributed should be maintained by the Administration.
5.5.3 The Family Identity Cards should be given to the retiring employees/widows of the deceased employees immediately on occurrence of the event i.e., retirement/demise to avoid inconvenience/hardship to widows later while applying for the Complimentary Pass.
5.5.4 The Identity Card issued by the Railway Administration should be updated every five years and the photographs of the widows and their dependent children should be obtained afresh and new Identity Cards should be issued, after withdrawing the Old Identity Cards issued earlier.
5.5.5 It may also be clarified that the widows or their dependents in whose favour the pass has been issued, should carry with them their Identity Cards issued by the Railway Administration during their train journey and the Ticket Checking Staff should be instructed suitably, while checking the passes, to demand their Identity Cards issued in their favour for verification and confirmation that only bonafide eligible persons travel. A suitable endorsement to this effect, as given below, should be made by a rubber stamp on all passes issued in favour of the widows and/or their dependent children.
“Valid only with the Family Identity Card”.
In other words, travel by train on the complimentary passes by the widows and/or their dependents, would not be valid, unless they are in possession of the Family Identity Cards and produced on demand during their train journeys.
6. Penalty for misuse: In the event of issue of Identity Card, Complimentary pass issued under the Scheme, furnishing wrong/false information or certification the travel facility under the scheme will be withdrawn permanently.
7. Miscellaneous :
7.1 The existing Pass Rules relating to validity period, break journeys enroute etc. will remain the same in respect of the Complimentary Passes issued under the scheme.
7.2 The facility available under the scheme shall not be available during the period the widow becomes entitled for Railway Pass facilities on other grounds, such as, when she is herself employed on the Railways (either during her husband’s lifetime or after his demise) or is covered by the passes to which the ward appointed on compassionate ground or otherwise is entitled etc.
7.3 The facility available to the widow of a male Railway employee shall also apply mutatis-mutandis to the widower of a female Railway employee.
7.4 The Rules for eligibility of dependent children for inclusion in the Complimentary Passes under the scheme shall be exactly the same as applicable for post-retirement Complimentary Passes.
7.5 In case there is more than one widow, the Complimentary Passes under the scheme shall be given by rotation, in a specified order.
7.6 The eligibility for travel facility to any widow under the Scheme shall cease on re-marriage.
7.7 Serving employees who give false information in terms of items 5.4 and/or 5.4.2 are liable to disciplinary action and forfeiture of their post-retirement/widow passes.
This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.
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RAILWAY CERTIFICATE*
1. Name of the employee :
2. Designation (at the time of
demise) (while in service/
retirement) :
3. Office/Station from where
retired/deceased :
4. Details of dependent children, if any, as defined in Pass Rules at the time of retirement/demise:
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Name of dependent |
Relationship |
Date of Birth |
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(a) |
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(b) |
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(c) |
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(d) |
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5. Class of pass admissible
(on demise/retirement) :
6. Number of pass entitled :
(i) On retirement :
(ii) on demise to the spouse :
[No. E(W) 85 PS 5-8/2 dated 30.06.87]
Signature of the issuing authority
Officer Stamp
(a) *To be prepared in two folios – one to be retained by the Issuing Authority and the other to be issued to the employee on retirement or to widow on demise of employee.
(b) To be kept by the employee/widow of deceased employee in safe custody for use at the appropriate time.
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