MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) to (e) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1606 BY SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR, SHRI NAGAR RODMAL, SHRI R.P. MARUTHARAJAA, SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA, SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH, SHRI LALLU SINGH, SHRI GOPAL SHETTY, SHRI B.V. NAIK AND DR. A. SAMPATH TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 19.12.2018 REGARDING POOR QUALITY OF FOOD
(a) & (b): Strict action is taken against contractors/suppliers whenever any complaint regarding poor quality of food is substantiated. Accordingly, the zone-wise details of the complaints including the complaints from Members of Parliament received by the Railways and the action taken/penalty imposed during the current year period (01.01.2018 to 31.10.2018) are appended.
(c) to (e): To provide safe, healthy and quality food to passengers, a new Catering Policy has been issued on 27th February 2017. As per Catering Policy 2017, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has been mandated to carry out unbundling by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution on trains. To ensure hygienic and safe food to passengers, following measures have been taken by Railways:
(i) To upgrade quality of food preparation, IRCTC is setting up new kitchens and upgrading existing ones. To ensure centralized monitoring of the kitchen activities, CCTVs have been installed in Base Kitchens/Kitchen Units. Sharing of live streaming of the Base Kitchens through website of IRCTC has been made operational.
(ii) To ensure compliance of Food Safety Norms, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification from Designated Food Safety Officers of each catering unit is mandatory. Food Safety Supervisors have been deployed at Kitchen Units to monitor food safety and hygienic practices. Food samples collected by Food Safety Officers/Supervisors are sent to the nominated accredited Laboratories under Food Safety & Standard Act for analysis and testing. Penalties are imposed in cases of detection of unsatisfactory food samples and prosecutions are carried out as per provisions of Food Safety & Standard Rule -2011.
(iii) Examination of quality of food, hygiene and cleanliness in Pantry Cars and Kitchen Units is done through Third Party Audit. Customer satisfaction survey is also conducted through Third Party Agencies.
(iv) Regular and surprise inspections are conducted by railway officials including Food Safety Officers. Detailed instructions/guidelines have been issued to the Zonal Railways for conducting inspections.
(v) Apart from above, to ensure hygienic and safe food to passengers following recent initiatives have also been taken by Railways:-
(a) Introduction of Optional Catering and Ready to Eat (RTE) Meals on selected trains.
(b) Introduction of Eco-friendly Sugar Bagasse (Biodegradable) packaging material.
(c) Provision of Service trolleys in Rajdhani and Duronto trains.
(d) Provision of Hand sanitizers in Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto trains.
(e) Introduction of Automatic vending machines on Humsafar trains.
(f) Provision of tablets to on board catering supervisors for passenger feedback and inspection applications.
(g) Provision of variety of cuisines through Food Plazas and Food Units over Indian Railways.
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