Representation for Waiver of Annual Fee and Restoration of Lifetime Validity of e-UMID Healthcare Smart Card under RELHS

   No    BPS/SG/RELHS/025/-       Dated: 17.05.2025

To

The D G (HR)

Railway Board

The DG (RHS)

Railway Board

Subject: Representation for Waiver of Annual Fee and Restoration of  Lifetime Validity of e-UMID Healthcare Smart Card under RELHS

Sir,

On behalf of Bharat Pensioners Samaj (BPS), representing over 1.3 million retired railway employees, I write to draw your urgent attention to the grave injustice being meted out to elderly beneficiaries of the Retired Employees Liberalised Health Scheme (RELHS). Despite repeated assurances from the Railway Board, the e-UMID Healthcare Smart Card—introduced as a replacement for the lifelong-validity RELHS prepaid card—now levies an annual fee of Rs 100 per beneficiary and offers only one-year validity. This patently betrays the trust of our senior citizens, undermines their entitlement to cashless healthcare, and stands in stark contrast to other Central Government health schemes.

1. Comparative Precedent

Central Government health schemes such as CGHS and ECHS have, for over a decade, provided PAN-India smart cards to pensioners aged 70 years & above with lifetime validity and zero renewal fee, along with OPD consultation in private empanelled hospitals without referral. These schemes recognize that our elderly deserve continuity of care without the burden of annual payments or bureaucratic hurdles. In contrast, Indian Railways has repeatedly shifted goalposts—abandoning pilot projects, revising formats, and now imposing an annual charge on the most vulnerable.

2. History of Abandonment and Glitches

o Feb 2008: Pilot CTSE Smart Card launched in Delhi NCR; extended twice but abandoned by August 2011.

o July 2012: Scheme relaunched for all metros and zonal headquarters but implemented only in Eastern Railway; others declined citing pretexts.

o July 2016: CTSE “add-on” pilot project introduced with ward-based contributions up to Rs 30,000. Glitches abounded; registration was cumbersome; major problems only partially resolved by 2018.

o Dec 2019: Board Notification mandated PAN-India extension, yet in most zones the scheme remained a paper exercise. BPS’s relentless pursuit revealed blatant indifference from the Directorate of Health.

o April 2019 & Aug 2024: Two successive smart card formats—the UMID and now the e-UMID—have been rolled out without addressing prior flaws. Minor formatting errors and the imposition of a yearly Rs 100 fee have rendered promised facilities inaccessible even in Railway hospitals.

3. Breach of Trust and Human Rights

Forcing elderly pensioners—many aged well above 70 and on fixed incomes—to pay an annual fee for the very healthcare security they had been promised constitutes a serious breach of trust, as well as a violation of their fundamental right to health. Hundreds who paid up to Rs 30,000 for CTSE cards found upon hospitalization that neither private empanelled hospitals nor Railway health units recognized their cards. The subsequent abandonment without refunds only compounds the injustice.

4. Demands

In light of the above, we forcefully request the Railway Board to:

o Waive immediately the annual Rs 100 fee for all e-UMID cardholders under RELHS.

o Restore lifelong validity to the e-UMID Healthcare Smart Card, equivalent to CGHS/ECHS practice.

o Amend the card format to replace the issuing zone name with “Indian Railways” and prominently display the national emblem, ensuring uniform acceptance across all Railway and private empanelled hospitals.

o Refund any fees collected since April 2024 and compensate beneficiaries denied cashless treatment due to system failures.

o Issue a clear Board Directive by 31 May 2025, mandating all Zones to implement these changes, and publish a timeline for full rollout.

5. Conclusion

Elderly pensioners, who have served the nation and the Indian Railways with distinction, deserve no less than the seamless, fee-free healthcare security afforded by other Central Government schemes. We trust that the Railway Board will heed this representation with the urgency and seriousness it demands, thereby upholding the dignity and rights of our senior citizens.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

(S.C. Maheshwari)

General Secretary

Bharat Pensioners Samaj

Copies to:

1. The Minister of Railways, Government of India

2. The PED (Health), Railway Board

3.      The J.S.-DOP &PW