New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): A total of 6,361 complaints over catering services in Rajdhani trains have been received during the last three years, the Parliament was told on Friday.

"During the last three years and till date (up to October 31, 2022) a total of 6,361 complaints were received for catering services in Rajdhani trains. Suitable action including imposition of fines, Discipline and Appeal Rules (D&AR) action etc. was taken in each and every case," Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The reply said that food samples are being collected regularly as a part of inspection and monitoring mechanism to ensure that quality of meals being supplied on trains is up to the mark. During the last three years and till date, 787 samples were collected by Railways/IRCTC.

"It is a continuous endeavour of Indian Railways (IR) to provide good quality food as per notified quantity and prescribed norms and standards by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)," he said in the reply.

Major initiatives undertaken to improve the quality of food being served to the passengers of trains including Rajdhani trains include upgradation of base kitchen/kitchen Units, installation of CCTV cameras in base kitchens/kitchen units for real time monitoring, deployment of on board IRCTC supervisors in Rajdhani trains, introduction of QR codes food packets and third party audit to examine hygiene and cleanliness in pantry cars and kitchen units. Besides, customer satisfaction survey is also conducted, said the reply.