Indian Railways is considering offering fare concessions to people living with HIV/AIDS in the country to facilitate their travel to the National AIDS Control Organisation's antiretroviral treatment centers, which offer subsidized treatment at 127 locations, the Indian Express reports.

According to the Express, Indian Railways is considering offering concessions as high as 75% to people living with the disease regardless of their purpose for traveling. Indian Railways already offers fare concessions ranging between 50% to 75% to people living with various medical conditions, including tuberculosis, leprosy, hearing and speech disorders, and heart and kidney disorders. The consideration to expand fare concessions is seen as one of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's "big ticket" items for the Rail budget, which is scheduled to be released in February, the Express reports.

An unnamed senior Railway official said, "The demand to offer concessions in fare to HIV and AIDS patients has been there for the past couple of years with even [NACO] seeking the benefit for" people living with the disease, adding, "However, it is for the first time that the ministry has taken up the proposal and started working out the modalities" (Rao, Indian Express, 1/1).