Indian Railways connects with women for its e-catering

Women in tier two and three cities are going to have more employment opportunities now. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has approached women Self Help Groups (SHGs) for a tie up in its e-catering division.

“The proposed association with SHGs is part of our plan to empower women. The initiative aims to develop local communities and ensure all-inclusive growth." The empanelled SHGs will be displayed on e-catering websites with their menu and prices. Passengers may choose a meal or food items offered and place the order. This will help in sustainable development of SHGs as well,” said IRCTC chairman and managing director (CMD) Dr A K Manocha, reports Pune Mirror.

SHGs in rural areas and semi-urban cities comprise a group of 10 to 20 women each. The passengers can choose a meal or individual items offered on the menu and place an order two hours before boarding the train.

Currently, IRCTC provides e-catering facility in all the trains passing through the most important 45 stations of Indian Railways. It also provides food to 1516 trains without pantry cars. The food is directly delivered by the vendor on the berth/seat of the passenger, states NDTV.

Manocha believes that there are around one crore SHGs working in India and those which are working in food sector will be approached by IRCTC. The new wave of adding private sector companies and now SHGs into the IRCTC is proving profitable for all.

It not only is helping empower women from rural and semi-urban cities, but is also helping in Indian sustainable development. Women will now get a chance to put their culinary skills to good use. This is also useful in the long run as it will improve women’s role in the overall economic growth of the country.

Picture Credit- The Hans