Senior Citizens of Chennai can travel free in Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses

Senior citizens in Chennai will soon be able to travel free in non-airconditioned Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses 10 times every month. The scheme will come into effect on February 24, the birthday of chief minister Jayalalthaa. The scheme will be first implemented in Chennai, and depending on the response, will be extended to other cities and towns in the state.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 19 February 2016.

Under the scheme, those who are aged 60 and above can avail of the scheme and can get tokens and identity cards from the MTC depots and offices concerned. Each senior citizen will be eligible to get 10 tokens every month after they fill in an application with photograph.
As per the 2011 census, Chennai had 4.57 lakh people aged 60 or above and, subsequently, the population of the elderly has increased because of several areas on the outskirts being merged with the city corporation. As a result, the number of people who make use of MTC buses has also increased, with the corporation plying more buses from the heart of city to Chengalpet or beyond.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Uttar Pradesh offers free pilgrimage to Tirupati and Rameswaram to more than 1000 senior citizens

Uttar Pradesh is offering freebies to more than 1000 senior citizens of the state – it is a free pilgrimage down South to the temples of Tirupati and Rameswaram. As revealed by Principal Secretary (Religious Affairs), the proposed pilgrimage would be open to permanent senior citizens of the state between November 26 and December and it would be conducted by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 16 September 2015.

The selected persons would be taken on a special train that would be chartered by the IRCTC. The route would be from Lucknow to Tirupati and Rameswaram in the general class. In the trip, they would be provided with travelling kits. The to-and-fro journey of these pilgrims from their home districts to Lucknow would be taken conducted by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.
It is understood that there would be 1,044 berths would be reserved for pilgrims and the IRCTC would get them covered by accidental insurance.
This pilgrimage is covered under 'Samajwadi Shrawan Yatra' and, similar pilgrimages had been arranged earlier this year for senior citizens of Uttar Pradesh to travel to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Ajmer Sharif and Pushkar shrines.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Kolkata Police to send cake with birthday greetings to 12000 senior citizens of Pronam

The Kolkata Police have a system of honoring twelve thousand senior citizens who get a card from Calcutta police every birthday – they would henceforth get a cake with it to sweeten up the occasion. This would be possible because of the largesse of Mayor Sovan Chatterjee who has announced an annual aid of Rs 50 lakh.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 3 June 2015.

Pronam is a welfare project for elderly people by the Kolkata Police in partnership with The Bengal and the announcement was made by the mayor at the annual day program of Pronam's south-west division at Sarat Sadan, Behala. The event was also attended by education minister Partha Chatterjee and Calcutta police commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha.
It may be recalled that last year, 3,000 Pronam members were taken pandal-hopping during the Durga Puja. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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