• Those who are 65 and above are permitted to pay tax of upto Rs.10000 less than the others. This is by way of a special tax rebate eligible to them. This rebate will, from next year, be enhanced to Rs.15000. Thus, if the tax works out to above Rs.15000, one would deduct Rs.15000 and pay only the balance amount as tax. That is an attractive rebate.
• Individuals aged 65 years and above(senior citizens), not engaged in any business or profession will not be required to file a return even if they meet the criteria on ownership of immovable property or subscription of a telephone. However, they will have to file a return under the scheme if they fulfil any of the other four criteria.

• Concessions are available for both air travel and rail travel for senior citizens in India.
  (SeniorIndian.com will soon provide information on the details about these concessions)
• There are many other concessions and benefits for the less privileged elders, for eg; On February 27, 1999, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, while presenting the Budget 1999-2000 in the Lok Sabha, announced the launch of a new scheme 'Annapurna' which aims at providing food security to senior citizens who have no income of their own and no one to take care of them in their village. The scheme will provide 10 kg of foodgrains per month free of cost to all indigent senior citizens, who are eligible for old age pension but are presently not receiving it and whose children are not residing in the same village. The number of persons benefiting from the scheme will not exceed 20 per cent of the old age pensioners within a particular state. The gram panchayat will be required to identify, prepare and display a list of such persons after giving wide publicity.
  While such schemes maybe helpful in a small way, much is to done for the welfare of the senior citizens.

AIR TRAVEL CONCESSIONS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, ARMY PERSONNEL, EX-ARMY PERSONNEL, AND WAR WIDOWS