What Railways said about serving of Halal-certified meat on trains
Indian Railways has dismissed reports of Halal-certified meat being served on trains as baseless and stated that it has never issued any instructions regarding serving Halal-certified meat on trains.
Clarifying some media reports in this regard, Indian Railways stated that the Railways and its subsidiary, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), comply only with the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for all its food items.
In its clarification, the Railways cited recent media reports claiming that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a notice to the Railways seeking a response on the requirement of Halal certification for meat served on trains.
The Railways has dismissed such reports as baseless, stating, "Indian Railways and IRCTC follow FSSAI guidelines for all their food items. There is no official directive to serve Halal-certified food on the Railways."
IRCTC serves only chicken as a non-vegetarian food item
The Railways clarified, "IRCTC serves only chicken as a non-vegetarian food item as per the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and makes changes to it from time to time." The Railways stated that there is no guideline requiring that meat served on trains be Halal certified. IRCTC also follows all instructions and guidelines issued by the Railways in this regard.
The Railways stated that the issue of serving Halal meat by the Indian Railways was previously raised through a social media post (July 2023) and information was sought. In response to which it was told that IRCTC serves non-vegetarian food (chicken) as per the standards set in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and keeps making changes in it from time to time.