New Delhi: Indian Railways is starting a new rule soon. If you want to book Tatkal tickets, your IRCTC account must be linked with Aadhaar. This change is being made so that only real passengers can get confirmed tickets in urgent situations.
Aadhaar Users Will Get Priority in First 10 Minutes
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared that users whose accounts are linked with Aadhaar will get the first chance to book Tatkal tickets in the first 10 minutes after booking opens. During this time, IRCTC agents will not be allowed to book tickets.
AI Will Catch Fake Accounts and Auto Tools
Railways is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to find fake accounts and agents using auto-booking tools. Recently, they found over 20 lakh suspicious accounts. These accounts are now being checked with Aadhaar and other documents.
1.2 Crore Users Already Linked with Aadhaar
Out of 13 crore active IRCTC users, 1.2 crore accounts are already linked with Aadhaar. Now, Railways will do a special check on the remaining 11.8 crore accounts. Fake ones will be blocked.
High Demand for Tatkal Tickets
Every day, around 2.25 lakh passengers book Tatkal tickets online. A study of bookings from May 24 to June 2 shows that most AC tickets (about 86%) are booked within the first hour. In non-AC classes, 66.4% tickets are booked in the first 10 minutes.
