Railway Ministry replaces ‘mentally retarded’ with ‘intellectual disability’

New Delhi: The Railway Ministry has decided to replace the term “mentally retarded persons” with “persons with intellectual disability” in concession forms issued to persons with disabilities seeking discounts in train journeys.

“The Ministry of Railways has decided to replace the term ‘mentally retarded persons who cannot travel without an escort’ with ‘persons with intellectual disability who cannot travel without an escort’,” said a ministry circular dated May 9 addressed to the principal chief commercial managers of all the railway zones.

Officials said terms like “mentally retarded” have negative connotations besides sounding offensive.

“The move was long overdue. The new concession certificate forms will incorporate the changes from June 1,” a railway official said.

However, the circular also enclosed a revised performa of the concession certificate form, which used terms such as “handicapped” and “divyangjan” for other disabilities, raising concerns among disability rights advocates and activists.

“The concession certificate form for orthopaedically handicapped/paraplegic (person/patients) who cannot travel without an escort/persons with intellectual disabilities who cannot travel without an escort/persons with hearing and speech impairment totally (both afflictions together in the same person)...,” the revised proforma read, specifying three categories of persons with disabilities who are offered travel concessions.

Activists, while welcoming the changes and saying they should have been implemented earlier, pointed out some “objectionable” words that still remain in the revised concession form.

“The Ministry of Railways is always slow to respond but better late than never. The Supreme Court has already issued a handbook on inclusive language.

“We welcome the shift from the ‘R-word’ to ‘intellectual disability’, but the Railways is still engaged in piecemeal corrections,” Satendra Singh, director and professor at the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, respectively, said.

“Even the revised concession forms continue to use euphemistic and controversial terms like ‘handicapped’ and ‘divyangjan’,” Singh said.

Some activists said a previous order from the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities banned expressions such as “handicapped”, while the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which India has ratified, also uses the term “persons with disabilities”.

The circular, stating other provisions, said, “The certificate already issued in the old proforma before 01.06.2025 shall remain valid till the expiry of the validity period. There shall be no change in railway concession certificate for ‘blindness’.” “Zonal railways may print the revised proforma and make it available at all locations/stations to avoid inconvenience. Necessary instructions shall be issued to all concerned,” it added. With Agency Inputs