No official provision for serving Halal-certified food in trains: Railways on NHRC notice

New Delhi: There is no official provision for selling Halal-certified food in trains, the Railway Board said on Wednesday in response to a notice from the National Human Rights Commission over the issue.

The NHRC issued the notice to the Railway Board on a complaint which alleged that Indian Railways serves only halal-processed meat in non-vegetarian meals, which creates unfair discrimination and causes human-rights violations.

"Indian Railways and IRCTC follow Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines for their food products, a senior Railway Board official said.

"There is no official provision for serving Halal-certified food on Indian Railways," he added.

The Board officials said that the similar issue was raised before the Chief Information Commission (CIC) recently by an applicant who had sought information under the Right to Information Act if halal-processed meat is served in non-vegetarian meals in trains.

The Board made its stand before the CIC that no halal-certified food is served.

The CIC in its order recorded the Railways contention and said that the Chief Principal Information Officer clearly and consistently stated that no such records or documents exist within IRCTC regarding a policy for Halal-certified food, its approval process, or explicit consent from passengers.

"We have been categorically saying that we maintain best food practices in our trains complying all norms," officials said.