(a) whether the Government has taken any steps to provide quality food from IRCTC in all its trains;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the mechanism in place to ensure that good quality food is being supplied by IRCTC;
(d) the number of catering agencies found guilty regarding providing poor food quality, hygiene and cleanliness of pantry car during the last three years; and
(e) the details of the action taken against them?
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2388 BY SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 16.03.2022 REGARDING GOOD QUALITY FOOD IN TRAINS
(a) to (c): Yes, Sir. It is the continuous endeavour of Indian Railways (IR) to provide quality food to the passengers as per norms and standards prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Major initiatives undertaken to improve the quality of food being served to the passengers in trains are as under:
• Upgradation of Base Kitchen/ Kitchen Units.
• Installation of CCTV Cameras in Base Kitchens /Kitchen Units for real time monitoring of food preparation at source.
• To ensure compliance of Food Safety Norms, FSSAI certification from Designated Food Safety Officers of each catering unit has been made mandatory.
• Food Safety Supervisors have been deployed at Kitchen Units to monitor food safety and hygienic practices.
• Deployment of on board IRCTC supervisors in trains for regular monitoring of catering services and real time redressal of passenger grievances.
• QR codes on food packets enabling display of details like name of kitchen, date of packaging, expiry date etc.
• Third Party Audit is done to examine hygiene and cleanliness in Pantry Cars and Kitchen Units. Customer satisfaction survey is also conducted.
• Regular and surprise inspections are conducted by Railway officials including Food Safety Officers.
In addition to the above steps, there is a robust system in place for passenger feedback and complaints redressal through Rail Madad, Twitter handle @ IR CATERING, CPGRAMS, E-Mail and SMS. Whenever any instance of serving of substandard quality food is noticed or reported, appropriate penal action is taken against the service provider.
(d) and (e): The details of catering licensees, against whom complaints of deficiency in catering services on account of poor quality and hygiene have been received during the last three years along with the action taken are appended.
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