The detailed rules, procedures, entitlement, purposes, etc for grant of concession are contained under different serial numbers in IRCA Coaching Tariff, Part I (Vol. II) which can be purchased from the General Secretary, I.R.C.A., Chelmsford Road, New Delhi. For any complaints or clarifications, the General Manager or the Chief Commercial Superintendent of the concerned Zonal Railway Administration should be approached. The important general rules for concession, in reference to the above mentioned Tariff, are as under:
1.(a)All concessional fares shall be calculated on the basis of fares for Mail/Express trains irrespective of the type of train, i.e. Mail or Express or Passenger, by which the passenger travels.
(b)Concession shall not be granted for any journey the cost of which is borne by the Central or State Government or a local authority or a Statutory body or a Corporation or a Government Undertaking or a University.
However, the students participating in the tournaments held or recognized by the schools or universities will be eligible to the concession.
(c)Concession shall be admissible only in respect of basic fares. No concession is admissible in respect of other charges, viz. superfast sucharge, reservation fee, etc. However, in cases where concession has been allowed in Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Jan Shatabdi trains, the concession shall be admissible in the total charges (including catering) of these trains.
(d)The concessions will be admissible subject to the minimum distance of 300 Kms, except in the case of students, blind, orthopaedically handicapped/paraplegic persons, TB and Cancer patients, Kidney patients, non-infectious leprosy patients, mentally retarded persons, thalassamia major disease patients, Heart, Hemophilia Patients, War Widows, Widows of IPKF, Widows of martyrs of operation Vijay 1999 (Kargil), Widows of defence personnel killed in action against terrorists & extremists, National Awardee Teachers, Shram Awardee Industrial Workers, Widows of Policemen killed in action against terrorists & extremists, Senior Citizens, Allopathic Doctors, parents accompanying the National Bravery Awardee child, Police Medal Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees coaches, sportsmen, Unemployed Youths for attending interviews for jobs, and their escorts, wherever admissible under the rules, in whose case the above mentioned distance restriction will not apply. However, the distance restrictions otherwise applicable to general public for travel in each individual train will apply for issue of concessional tickets also.
2.Only one type of concession is admissible at a time at the choice of passenger and no person is allowed two or more concessions simultaneously.
3.(a) Break of journey en-route shall not be allowed on a concession ticket for a journey for a specific purpose viz. a student travelling to/from an examination Centre, a Cancer patient travelling to/from a hospital, a professor travelling to/from a Conference, etc. It is allowed only where a break of journey is a natural event.
(b)Passengers breaking their journey are required to have their ticket endorsed from the Station Master where journey is broken.
(c)Passengers terminating journey en route, must surrender their ticket at the station where the journey is terminated. Refund for the untravelled portion on such tickets will not be allowed.
4.Except Senior Citizens, concession on Indian Railway will be admissible on production of the requisite certificate from the concerned Person/Organization in India and the documents issued by persons/organizations in other countries shall not be valid for the purpose of concession. No concession of any type including senior citizen for tatkal ticket.
5.In the case of Senior citizens, no proof of age is required at the time of purchasing tickets. Concession tickets are issued on demand made through the option in reservation form. However, they are required to carry some documentary proof showing their age or date of birth and produce it if demanded by some Railway Official during the journey. Any document issued by any Government Institution/ Agency/Local Body, like Identity Card, Ration Card, Driving Licence, Pass Port, Educational certificate, certificate from Panchayat/Corporation/ Municipality, or any other authentic & recognised document, is acceptable for this purpose. The Pass Port issued by foreign countries is also valid.
6.The holder of a concession ticket is not permitted to change the ticket to a higher class even by paying the difference of actual fares. However, the categories of persons eligible for concession in first class (and not in AC 2-tier) can purchase tickets for AC 2-tier sleeper also on payment of the first class concessional fare plus difference of actual fares of AC 2-tier sleeper & first class.
7.Save as otherwise specifically provided, concession is not admissible in season tickets, circular journey tickets and prestigious trains like Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, etc. which have separate all inclusive fare structure. Concession is not admissible to any one in Garib Rath Express trains. No concession of any type including senior citizen for Tatkal ticket in Garib Rath Trains.
8.In case where concessional Single/Return Journey Tickets or Season tickets or Circular journey tickets are to be issued for two or more persons, the concessional fare shall be calculated separately for each person.
9.All the concessions are to be granted across the counters at Stations/ Reservation Offices/Booking Offices only. If some person enters the train without ticket or without proper ticket or extends journey on concession ticket or changes the concession to higher class, etc., he shall not be granted any concession in train, even if he is otherwise eligible for it under the rules.