Question : Railway Catering Policy

(a) whether the Railways have received any suggestions/demands from the public representatives in connection with implementation of the Catering Policy, 2010 to facilitate livelihood to the licensees of the Railways and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Railways have penalized any company or person for violating the norms of catering policy during the last three years and if so, the details thereof along with the action taken thereon;
(c) whether the Akhil Bhartiya Railway Khan-pan Licensees Welfare Association has submitted memorandum/representation recently on the said policy and if so, the details thereof;
(d) the follow up action taken thereon; and
(e) whether the Railways propose to award the catering contracts to some women self-help groups on priority basis, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI SURESH PRABHAKAR PRABHU)

(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 STARRED QUESTION NO. 291 BY SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI ARVIND SAWANT ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 10.08.2015 REGARDING RAILWAY CATERING POLICY
(a) to (e): Suggestion/demands have been received from a number of public representatives as well as the Akhil Bhartiya Railway Khan-Pan Licensees Welfare Association in respect of Catering Policy 2010. Allowing renewal of licenses pertaining to General Minor Units (GMUs) and Special Minor Units (SMUs) which were allotted prior to Catering Policy 2010, and scrapping of tender-based system for allotment of GMUs constitute the focal points of these demands/suggestions. Since the issue of renewal/tendering of GMUs is presently subjudice before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, action on these demands/suggestions is contingent upon the direction of the Hon’ble Court.
During the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, a total of 3667, 5851 and 6307 complaints were respectively received in respect of catering services on Railways. Penal action, including fine, warning, termination and disciplinary proceedings, was taken in 2109, 4229 and 4776 of these complaints respectively in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Monetary fines amounting to a total of ? 1,68,38,100/- has been imposed on licensees in the period January 2013 to June 2015.
There is no proposal for awarding contracts to Women Self Help Groups on criteria other than those stipulated in Catering Policy 2010.

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