IRCTC can now customise menu to include food for diabetics, infants, health aficionados

Highlights At present, the IRCTC has to get the menus approved by the Railway Board From now on, the menu will be decided by the IRCTC within the tariff already notified Sale of a-la-carte meals and branded food items on MRP will also be permitted on 'prepaid trains' Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation can now customise its menu to include local and regional cuisines as well as food suitable for diabetics, infants and health aficionados. "As a measure to improve catering services on trains, it has been decided to give IRCTC the flexibility to customize the menu so as to include items of regional cuisines/preferences, seasonal delicacies, requirement during festivals, food items as per the preferences of a different group of passengers such as diabetic food, baby food, health food options, including millet-based local products among others," the note said. The note also stated that for 'prepaid' trains, in which catering charges are included in the passenger fare, the menu will be decided by the IRCTC within the tariff already notified. For other Mail/Express trains, the menu of budget segment items like standard meals will be decided by the IRCTC within the fixed tariff already notified.