It has been noticed by the Indian Railway Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) that its earnings have increased to Rs. 29 crore from 80 of its non-railway catering outlets across India during 2012-2013. The latest figure represents a jump of Rs. 18 crore, when compared to one year earlier.
A senior official from IRCTC said, “We have now ventured into catering services, starting from food kiosks and cafeterias to food courts in the non-railway sector. There are about 80 such catering units in various government offices, educational institutions and other places”. Before 2010, train catering was the primary business of the corporation, but the ministry then decided to move on to new business options in the non-railway category.
The official from IRCTC went on to say that they have pursued catering business in government offices, as well as other institutions. At the moment, the IRCTC has cafeterias in several locations: at Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi, Writers’ Building and Kolkata High Court in Kolkata, Bhilai Steel Plant Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, as well as in a couple of other states.
The official also said that they offer a variety of food items such as tea, snacks and other beverages to thali and meal combinations.
Photo Credits: Jagran