Clarification regarding continuance of Widow Pass (WP) facility after demise of the Railway Servant and his/her spouse: Railway Board RBE No. 64/2022

Modern Coach Factory/Raebareli vide their above cited letters have sought clarification on  the aspect of continuance of WP facility in favour of remaining beneficiaries after the death of spouse of deceased Railway Servant stating that the extant Railway Servants (Pass) Rules, 1986 (Second Edition – 1993) is silent in this regard. The families which lost both the parents during COVID-19 pandemic and facing severe hardships have also represented for continuance of WP facility. Requests have also been received from All India Railwaymen’s Federation and National  Federation of Indian Railwaymen for extending Pass facility in such cases. Keeping the above and the provisions connected with WP facility in view, the issue has been examined and with the approval of Competent Authority, it is clarified that even after the demise of spouse of deceased Railway Servant, the WP facility may be continued in the name of eldest beneficiary eligible to be included in the WP in terms of extant Pass Rules. Other eligible members may also be continued in the Widow Pass Account (WPA), as like before.

2. In cases where WPA is closed or not even opened but a family member of deceased Railway Servant is eligible to be a beneficiary of WP, on receipt of application, the Pass Issuing, Authority (PIA), where the WPA existed or from where the deceased Railway Servant retired, may re-open the closed WPA or open a new WPA, as the case may be. However, the entitled number of Passes will be reckoned and issued only from the current Calendar Year.

5. The WP facility will be discontinued in respect of the beneficiary who becomes entitled to Pass facility on any account or becomes ineligible for pass facility under any other provision of extant Pass Rules.