Local Cuisine of Choice will be made available to Passengers

The Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu while presenting the Railway Budget 2016-17 in Parliament today said that IRCTC will manage catering services in a phased manner. He also said that catering services will be unbundled by IRCTC by categorizing into food preparation and food distribution. He said that his Indian Railway will explore the possibility of making mandatory catering services optional in the trains. He also said that local cuisine of choice will be made available to passengers.

Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that e-catering services will be extended to 408 A1 and A class stations. He also said that 10 more IRCTC operated, mechanized, sophisticated base kitchens will be added to ensure fresh and hygienic supply of food on trains. He said that a new policy of multi purpose stalls as against existing single purpose stalls to be introduced in all stations.

The Railway Minister said that it is proposed to ensure reservation in catering units to SC, ST, OBC, Women, persons with disabilities. To build local ownership and empowerment Shri Suresh Prabhu proposed a process of giving weightage to district domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations. He also said that Indian Railways is exploring the feasibility of providing an option to our customers for drinking tea in kulhad.

E-catering expansion to major stations will make local cuisine and optional catering choices available to passengers. IRCTC will phase in management of railway catering by unbundling food preparation from distribution, exploring optional onboard catering, extending e-catering to additional high-category stations, adding mechanized base kitchens to ensure fresh hygienic food, and introducing multipurpose station stalls; the policy further proposes reservation in catering units and weightage for district domicile applicants to promote local empowerment and inclusion.