42 lakh senior citizens gave up railway concessions in 9 months: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that 42 lakh senior citizens had voluntarily given up their railway concession in the past nine months while 1.25 crore families had surrendered their gas subsidy.Modi said an environment of honesty has been fostered in the country and more and more people are coming forward to contribute to the nation building by voluntarily giving up on various subsidies and concessions.He said with his one request from the Red Fort to the well-off citizens to give up LPG subsidy, and 1.25 crore families gave up the benefit.”Here (in case of railway concessions) I had not announced anything. But the railways themselves on their form asked people if they would want to give up their senior citizen concessions…I am proud to say that in the past eight-nine months, 42 lakh elderly passengers have voluntarily given up their subsidy,” Modi said.He further said that he had requested the doctors of the country to treat pregnant women free of cost at least once in a month, following which thousands of medical practitioners had come forward. “And 1.25 crore pregnant women have been treated free-of cost so far,” he said.The prime minister had called on doctor working in the private sector to provide free ante-natal services (ANC) on the 9th of every month on a voluntary basis to pregnant women, especially those living in under-served, semi-urban, poor and rural areas during his radio address in 2016.”This shows the trust of the people on this government is increasing. People have this feeling that the tax we are paying, every single penny is being utilised for the purpose of development,” Modi said after laying the foundation stone of the National Centre for Aging at AIIMS and inaugurating a super speciality and an emergency block at Safdarjung Hospital here today.