Indian Railways to provide chai, snacks in earthenware at 400 railway stations

In a bid to shun the use of single-use plastic, Indian Railways will now serve tea, lassi, snacks and other food items in earthenware at 400 major stations across the country.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will be providing "environmental savvy terracotta products like kulhad, glasses and plates" to the Railways.

The Ministry of Railways has already directed all Principal Chief Commercial Managers (PCCMs) of different Zonal Railways and IRCTC' CMD "to further proliferate the use of locally-produced environment-savvy terracotta products for serving catering items" to passengers through all static catering units with "immediate effect" at 400 railway stations.

The ministry, in its letter dated September 9 to the PCCMs, advised them to "identify 25 railway stations on their zonal railways respectively for implementation of the above scheme, under intimation to the board and IRCTC. "The list of stations suggested by KVIC is enclosed and may be considered for inclusion by the zonal railways," it said.

The KVIC is carrying out various programme including 'Kumhaar Sashaktikaran Yojana' (Potters' Empowerment Plan) to create employment at the doorsteps to the poor to improve their economic conditions.

"Thanks to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal ji for supporting KVIC's Kumhar Sashaktikaran by adopting kulhads and other terracotta products at 400 important Railway Stations in the country. It will bring smiles on the faces of marginalised potters," KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi, in his address to the nation on Independence Day, had given a clarion call to give up single-use plastic by October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.