New Delhi: In a major development, the Indian Railways will not provide free travel insurance to its passengers starting September 1, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The official said that the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to stop free travel insurance starting September 1 and "the option of free insurance will be optional".
Travellers while booking tickets through its website or mobile application will have to choose from two options: to opt-in or opt-out of travel insurance.
He said that in a bid to promote the digital transaction, the IRCTC has been giving free travel insurance to passengers since December 2017.
The railways had earlier also waived off ticket booking charge for users who make payments via debit cards.
The insurance provided by the IRCTC had a maximum cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of a person's death during a train journey, Rs 7.5 lakh if a person is disabled due to an accident, Rs 2 lakh if injured and Rs 10,000 for transportation of mortal remains.
The order to charge for the travel insurance will be generated in a few days. However, the amount has not been disclosed yet.