New Delhi: Indian Railways has imposed penalties worth ₹5.13 crore, issued 54 show-cause notices, terminated six contracts and debarred several catering licensees over food quality and hygiene violations during the last three years, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Union Minister Vaishnaw shared this information in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
The action comes as Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its network
The government said food quality-related complaints account for only about 0.0008% of the total meals served on average.
Based on complaints received during the past three years, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has taken disciplinary measures against defaulting vendors, including financial penalties, contract terminations and debarment. The list of debarred licensees has been made available on the IRCTC website.
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To strengthen food safety and hygiene standards, Indian Railways has introduced a series of reforms in its catering operations. These include supplying meals through designated base kitchens, commissioning modern kitchens at key locations, installing CCTV cameras for real-time monitoring of food preparation and deploying Food Safety Supervisors at kitchens and onboard supervisors on trains.
Railways has also introduced QR codes on meal packets, allowing passengers to access details such as the packing date, name of the licensee and FSSAI licence number.
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Other measures include the use of branded raw materials, regular deep cleaning and pest control, mandatory FSSAI certification, food sample testing and periodic training of catering staff.
In addition, third-party audits, customer satisfaction surveys and regular as well as surprise inspections by Railway and IRCTC officials, including Food Safety Officers, are being conducted to ensure compliance with food safety norms.
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