Thursday, June 27, 2013

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IRCTC Revised Refund Rules / Cancellation Rules / Cancellation Charges



Indian Railways has recently revised the refund rules and new rules will come into effect from 01-July-2013. The existing refund rules has not been updated for pas 15 years where the ticketing system has changed substantially. Computerized Passenger Reservation has also been changed enormously for past 15 years through which more than 40% of total tickets are being booked.
Highlights of the Current Refund Rules:
  1. Unreserved tickets has to be presented for cancelled within 3 hrs of the issue of the ticket. Not after 3hrs of the actual departure of the train.
  2. If the unreserved ticket is issued in advance, the ticket is presented up to 2400 hours of the day preceding the day of journey. 
  3. If the Reserved ticket is presented for cancellation for more than 48 hrs instead or existing 24 hrs, the cancellation charges per passenger will be flat rate of 120/- for AC 1st class/ Executive Class , Rs. 100 for AC 2-tire/First Class,Rs.90/- for AC 3-Tire/ 3 Tire economy/air-conditioned chair car and Rs.60 for Sleeper Class and Rs. 30 for 2nd Class.
  4. If the Reserved ticket is presented for cancellation between 48 hrs and upto 6 hrs instead of existing 24 hours and upto 4 hours before the departure of the train, cancellation charges will be 25% of the fare subject to the minimum of cancellation charges.
  5. If the ticket is presented for cancellation within 6hrs of the actual departure of the train instead for existing 4hrs and after 2 hrs of the actual departure of the train irrespective of the distance, cancellation charges will be 50% of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.
  6. No refunds will be given after 2hrs of the actual departure of the train.
  7. In case, on a party ticket or a family ticket issued for travel of more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours instead of existing 3 hours after actual departure of the train”
  8. For unused RAC or Waitlisted tickets , passenger has to present the ticket for cancellation within 3 hrs after the actual departure of the train irrespective of the distance. In case no current counters are available at journey originating station for night trains leaving between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours(actual departure , refund shall be admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation office.
  9. No refund will be given after 3 hrs of the actual departure of the train for unused RAC or Waitlisted tickets.
  10. In case of confirmed/ RAC e-ticket ,if the reservation charts have been   prepared, Passenger has to file TDR for cancellation within 2 hrs of the actual departure of the train. No refund will be given after 2 hrs of the departure of the train.
  11. No refund of fare shall be admissible on RAC e-tickets in case the request for refund is filed online after three hours of the actual departure of the train.
  12. Incase of Lost, misplaced, torn or mutilated tickets, issue of new ticket will be charged Rs. 50 per passenger for Sleeper and 2nd class and Rs. 100 per passenger for all other classes instead of existing clerikage charges.
  13. For refund of fare under circumstances other than those specified in these rules or under circumstances like ‘bandh’ or agitations or floods,  etc., the passengers could not reach the reservation counter or station or current counters for cancellation of tickets, in those cases, a TDR  shall be issued to the passenger and the passenger may apply for refund of fare within ten days instead existing 90 daysfrom the day of commencement of journey to the Chief Commercial Manager (Refunds) of the railway administration under whose jurisdiction the TDR issuing station comes, enclosing the original TDR. The TDR shall be issued only upto three days instead of existing 30 days after the scheduled departure of the train.
IRCTC Revised Refund Rules / IRCTC Cancellation Rules / Railway Refund Rules

NBFC (non-banking finance companies)



NBFC (non-banking finance companies)


Check before depositing money with NBFCs: RBI (Cautions investors to carefully evaluate investment decisions)


With a spate of financial scams, the Reserve Bank of India today cautioned investors to carefully evaluate investment decisions, including making deposits with non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). It regulates these and has authorised only a few NBFCs to accept deposits. The list of those authorised are on its website and people should check this, it cautioned.



Currently, the maximum interest an NBFC can pay to a depositor should not exceed 12.5 per cent. The RBI keeps changing these rates, depending on the macroeconomic environment. 



The public can register complaints with the local police or their Economic Offences Wing if some financial entity is found conducting business unauthorisedly or does not repay deposits. RBI is also categorical in saying it does not regulate chit fund activities or those of ‘collective investment schemes’.