• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Free passes, at what cost?

The Centre, along with the announcement of the acceptance of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, has come out with figures as to what the additional burden will be. It is time that indirect costs too are calculated. Take, for example, the system of free passes, which are issued by the Railways to its various categories of employees and their families (including dependents), to enable them to travel by rail free of cost. The Railways do not have any precise es timate of the cost involved in it. Isn’t it proper that the cost is calculated, more so because of the alleged irregularities perpetrated even by senior officials? What is the definition of a dependent? Is the definition introduced by the British in a given socio-economic scenario valid today? How many dependents one is entitled to? How many are actually travelling? How many are actually signing the passes at the time of travelling? Why do not the Railways extend the same benefit on reimbursement basis? That is, asking the free pass-holders to buy tickets first and then reimbursing the cost of the tickets on completion of the journey?

More Stories on : Railways

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line