Indian Railways has launched a smart card scheme called “Go India” on a pilot basis on two sectors – New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah. The card currently enables the railway passengers to pay for reserved and unreserved tickets that can be used at ticket counters. The scheme was announced by Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha.
The smart card can be used for issuing tickets at
- Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS)
- Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters
- Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs)
For the first time, a passenger should pay a minimum amount of Rs.70 to get a card. He will get Rs.20 balance. Then he can recharge the card for a minimum of Rs.20 or in multiple of Rs.50 upto Rs. 5000. The Maximum limit on Go-India smart card is Ten thousand rupees.
The smart card has a validity of life time. If the card is kept unused for 6 months, it will be temporarily deactivated which can be activated again by paying Rs.50. The main objective of this scheme is to reduce the transaction time at the booking counters for the convenience of passengers.
