Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)



Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
Traded as
ISINTemplate:ISIN
IndustryRailways
Founded27 September 1999;
24 years ago (1999-09-27)
Headquarters
New Delhi
,
India
Area served
India
Key people
Rajni Hasija, IRAS (Chairman & MD)
Services
RevenueIncrease ₹2,353.53 crore (US$330 million) (2020)[1]
Increase ₹752.62 crore (US$110 million) (2020)[1]
Increase ₹528.57 crore (US$74 million) (2020)[1]
Total assetsIncrease ₹3,249.83 crore (US$460 million) (2020)[1]
Total equityIncrease ₹1,327.81 crore (US$190 million) (2020)[1]
OwnerGovernment of India (67%)[2]
Members20 million registered users[3] (2019)
Websitewww.irctc.co.in

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is an Indian public sector undertaking that provides ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the Indian Railways. It was initially wholly owned by the Government of India and operated under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways but has been listed on the National Stock Exchange since 2019, with the Government continuing to hold majority ownership.[3][4]

Establishment and ownership[edit]

The IRCTC was established on 27 September 1999,[5] as a public sector undertaking completely owned by the Government of India through the Indian Railways. It is the only entity that is authorised to provide certain services to the Indian Railways, including online ticketing, catering, and selling drinking water on trains and at railway stations. In May 2008, it was classed as a Miniratna public corporation, which allowed it a certain degree of financial autonomy.[4]

The IRCTC was listed on the National Stock Exchange in 2019, following which the Government of India's holding was reduced to 87%, with the remaining shares being publicly traded.[6][7] In December 2020, the Government of India divested another 20%, reducing its holding in the IRCTC to 67%.[8][9][10]

Services[edit]

Online ticketing[edit]

It pioneered internet-based rail ticket booking through its website, as well as from mobile phones via WiFi, GPRS, or SMS. It also provides an SMS facility to check PNR status and Live Train Status as well. In addition to e-tickets, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation also offers I-tickets that are basically like regular tickets except that they are booked online and delivered by post. The ticket's PNR status is also made available. Commuters on the suburban rail can also book season tickets through the website. It has also launched a loyalty program called Shubh Yatra for frequent travelers. Through this program, passengers can avail of discounts on all tickets booked around the year by paying an upfront annual fee.

Seeking to make it easier to book e-tickets, It launched a scheme called Rolling Deposit Scheme (RDS). RDS is an e-ticket booking scheme allowing passengers to reserve seats against advance money kept with the corporation.[11] It has also added flight and hotel booking facilities to their line of online reservation services.[12]

On 11 August 2021, the organisation introduced a smart card system for passengers traveling through unreserved train tickets which can be bought at railway stations and can help them to avoid long queues these cards can also be recharged online.[13]

Tatkal scheme[edit]

Under the Tatkal scheme, passengers who plan their journey at short notice can book their tickets for almost all Mail/Express trains through the Indian railway's internet portal. The booking starts at 10:00 AM daily for AC coach reservations and Non-AC timing is residual to 11.00 AM, one day before the departure of the train from the source station.[14] Tatkal E-tickets can be booked for selected trains one day in advance excluding the date of the journey from the train originating station. It can be booked on the opening day from 10:00 AM for the AC coach and 11:00 AM for NON-AC.[15] Passengers traveling on Tatkal tickets should carry a photo ID proof along with them to be shown to the ticket checker. Earlier this year, the website launched the Lite version which doesn't include ads, pop-ups, etc., and check PNR status.[16]

Catering and hospitality[edit]

A food plaza at Valsad.

IRCTC introduced pantry cars inside long or medium distance trains which catered to passengers by serving freshly cooked food. IRCTC has exclusive rights for onboard catering of food on all trains operated by the Indian Railways. It also operates food plazas, Jan Aahar cafeterias and refreshment rooms at various railway stations.[17] In 2014, IRCTC launched e-catering services which allowed passengers to order food from partner restaurants online or through phone call and have it delivered to their seats.[18]

At major railway stations, IRCTC also manages air-conditioned waiting lounges, retiring rooms and budget hotels in partnership with private entities.[19][20][21]

Bottled water[edit]

IRCTC also owns the bottled water brand "Rail Neer" which is sold on trains and railway stations among other places.[22][23]

Tourism[edit]

Luxury tourist train Maharajas' Express

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation also organises budget and deluxe package tours for domestic and foreign tourists. A popular tourism package for budget tourists covering important tourist destinations across India is called "Bharat Darshan". Luxury tourism packages are also available, that involve special luxury trains such as Buddhist Circuit Train and Maharajas' Express operations.[24]

Train operations[edit]

The Lucknow–New Delhi Tejas Express in 2017.

IRCTC also operates several express trains as a "private player" in India. In 2020, the IRCTC began operating India's first private train, the Tejas Express, from Lucknow to New Delhi.[25]

Milestones[edit]

  • On 19 March 2014, nearly 5,80,000 tickets booked in a day.[29]
  • On 1 April 2015, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) created a new national record with 13,45,496 tickets booked in a day.[30]
  • On 2 April 2015, nearly 11,00,000 tickets booked in a day.[31]
  • In April 2015, nearly 13,40,000 tickets booked in a day.[32]
  • The inauguration of Tejas Express was on 24 May 2017 from Mumbai CST to Karmali, Goa.[33]
  • Extension of Scheme of Alternate Train Accommodation System aka VIKALP for the benefit of Waitlisted Passengers with effect from 1 April 2017 in all Mail/Express trains.[34][35]
  • From 3 November 2017, Service started to provide information to passengers through (SMS) regarding status of delayed trains. Initially, all Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Tejas & Gatiman Trains covered. From 15 December 2017, all Jan shatabdis, Duranto and Garib Rath trains have also been included. Now this service is available in around 250 trains.[36][37][38]
  • On 4 October 2019, started operating India's first semi-private train "Tejas" between Lucknow and Delhi.[39]
  • On 17 January 2020, started operating second semi-private train ''Tejas'' between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.[40]
  • On 16 February 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated first semi-private Train ''Kashi Mahakaal'' (3rd semi-private by IRCTC) between Varanasi and Indore connecting 4 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.[41]
  • In 7 August 2019, IRCTC launched a payment wallet names iMudra, to provide an easy way to book railway tickets, pay, send or withdraw money.[42][43]
  • On 31 December 2020 IRCTC launched its new upgraded  e-Ticketing Website & Mobile App for booking of online Railway Ticket.

Criticism[edit]

Passenger data and privacy concerns[edit]

The IRCTC has been criticised for failing to maintain privacy of the data that it has collected on passengers for the purposes of bookings and travel, and there have been multiple reports of data leaks and exposures, as well as concerns that passenger information has been used by the government to send promotional content with demographic targeting.

In 2016, cyber police officials from Maharashtra reported a potential leak of personal information relating to 10 million passengers. The IRCTC denied the leak, but a committee consisting of officials from the IRCTC and Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) was constituted to examine the report.[44][45] IRCTC officials claimed that the reports were unfounded and that there was no leak of "sensitive" passenger data.[46][47][48] An IRCTC official later admitted that data that IRCTC had shared with third parties, including hotel, taxi, and food delivery services, had been exposed.[49]

In 2018, a security researcher, Avinash Jain, reported that a free travel insurance scheme offered by IRCTC, which caused users on their app to be redirected to a third party insurer, had left the information of approximately 200,000 passengers exposed for a period of two years.[50][51] IRCTC discontinued the insurance scheme and fixed the vulnerability that had left this data exposed.[52]

In October 2020, a data breach resulted in the exposure of passenger data of more than 900,000 individuals online, including names, dates of birth, mobile numbers, marital status, residence, gender and travel information. IRCTC denied the leak.[53] In the same month, IRCTC announced that it would be sharing passenger data with other public and private corporations with whom it worked.[54] Railway Minister Piyush Goyal publicly stated while discussing railway disinvestment that the government was exploring ways to monetise the sale of passenger data stored with IRCTC, saying "There is huge data with the company and that is not getting captured in the valuation. We are trying to see how we can utilise that."[55] Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has criticised this, calling it a "threat to the right of privacy."[56]

In May 2020, the IRCTC made the use of the Government of India's COVID-19 tracker app, Aarogya Setu, mandatory, amidst concerns about the safety of data stored with the app.[57][58] A government official later clarified in proceedings at the Karnataka High Court that downloading the app was optional and not mandatory.[59]

In 2020, IRCTC officials used passenger personal data that had been provided to them to book tickets, in order to email a pamphlet titled "PM Modi and his government’s special relationship with Sikhs" during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests, in which they advertised the benefits of government policies to protesting Sikh farmers. More than 20 million such emails were sent without consent of the passengers between 8 December 2020 to 12 December 2020. IRCTC chief public relations officer Sidharth Singh stated that the booklet "has been sent to those with the surname ‘Singh’ and those who are from the Punjab region"[60] However, IRCTC officials later denied that the pamphlet, which was shared in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, was selectively targeted at members of the Sikh community.[61] IRCTC officials admitted that passenger booking data had been previously used without prior consent, for the purpose of promotional government messages.[62][63][64]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Balance Sheet 31.03.2020". irctc.com (4 January 2019).
  2. ↑ Manghat, Sajeet. "IRCTC Is Turning Heads: Here's All You Need To Know". BloombergQuint. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "IRCTC Booking Time Window Extended by 15 Minutes". NDTV Gadgets360.com. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd". Business Standard India. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd". Business Standard India. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "IRCTC IPO off to a strong start, subscribed 81% amid strong demand from retail on Day 1". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  7. ↑ Narayanan, KS Badri. "With an oversubscription of 112 times, IRCTC's stock offer is a showstopper". @businessline. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "IRCTC Offer For Sale Successful, Government Prunes Stake By 20%". NDTV.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Kaur, Avneet (16 December 2020). "11% down in a week, IRCTC share to come down after OFS share allotment: Analysts". mint. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Centre launches IRCTC share offer to raise Rs 4,374 crore". The Indian Express. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  11. ↑ IRCTC to launch 'Rolling Deposit Scheme' for e-ticket – Economic Times. economictimes.indiatimes.com (28 August 2012). Retrieved on 23 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Indian Railways to introduce Rolling Deposit Scheme for E-Ticketing". Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "IRCTC Latest News: Now You Can Easily Recharge Smart Cards To Get Unreserved Train Tickets". India News, Breaking News | India.com. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Welcome to Indian Railway Passenger reservation Enquiry. Indianrail.gov.in (30 June 2006). Retrieved on 23 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". www.services.irctc.co.in. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "IRCTC Lite Version For Tatkal Launched". PNRStatus(The ticket for an Indian Railways train consists of a 10-digit number)IRCTC.in. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "IRCTC orders closure of all onboard catering services in mail, express trains from Mar 22". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "IRCTC to resume e-catering services in phases from February". Hindustan Times. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "IRCTC Railway Retiring Room Booking Online". PNRStatusIRCTC.in. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  20. ↑ G, Jasjeev (26 February 2018). "New Delhi Railway station: Luxury at railway station you may not know of". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Rly give permission to zonal divisions to decide on reopening of retiring rooms". mint. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  22. ↑ Arora, Rajat (23 May 2018). "Indian Railways | Rail Neer: Railways may put Rs 1k crore into 11 new Rail Neer bottling units". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Can Rail Neer Be The Ace In The Pack For IRCTC As It Navigates Coronavirus Turbulence?". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  24. ↑ Gupta, Jayanta (19 March 2010). "Rs 1 lakh a night on Maharajas' Express". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  25. ↑ "IRCTC's 'private' Tejas Express to resume services from October 17". The Indian Express. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  26. ↑ Staff Writer (23 September 2019). "Railways' first private train sees strong bookings. Delhi-Lucknow Tejas features". Mint. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  27. ↑ Saluja, Nishtha. "Tejas Express: Railways Minister Piyush Goyal to flag off India's second private train on Friday". The Economic Times. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  28. ↑ "IRCTC launches third private train Kashi Mahakal Express today. Know route, fare". mint. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  29. ↑ "IRCTC record: 5.8 lakh etickets sold in a day". The Times of India. 21 March 2014.
  30. ↑ "Record Number of Train Tickets Booked As New Reservation Rule Kicks In". NDTV. 2 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "4-month advance railway booking: Record 11 lakh tickets sold online". The Times of India. 2 April 2015.
  32. ↑ Malviya, Sagar (27 November 2015). "IRCTC rakes in Rs 20,000 crore from online ticketing, revenue double of Flipkart's". Indiatimes.
  33. ↑ "India's first ever high-speed Tejas Express to be inaugurated today". The New Indian Express. 22 May 2017.
  34. ↑ "VIKALP Terms and Conditions". contents.irctc.co.in.
  35. ↑ "Railways' new Vikalp scheme to help waiting-list passengers to travel in premium trains like Shatabdi, Rajdhani". Business Today. 22 March 2017.
  36. ↑ "Welcome to Indian Railway Passenger reservation Enquiry". www.indianrail.gov.in.
  37. ↑ "Sms Service Code". www.indianrail.gov.in.
  38. ↑ "Now get SMS delay alerts at halt stations; service extended to 1,104 more trains". The Economic Times. 3 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "India's First Private Train". Economic Times.
  40. ↑ "Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express to roll out on Jan 17". Mumbai Mirror. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  41. ↑ "पीएम मोदी काशी महाकाल एक्सप्रेस को दिखाएंगे हरी झंडी, हुआ सफल ट्रायल, इस स्पीड से दौड़ी ट्रेन". Amar Ujala. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  42. ↑ "IRCTC iMudra payment wallet: Here's everything you need to know". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  43. ↑ "IRCTC launches iMudra wallet to provide you hassle-free payment experience". Zee Business. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  44. ↑ "IRCTC denies data theft reports, sets up probe panel". The Indian Express. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  45. ↑ Mehta, Manthank (5 May 2016). "IRCTC website hacked, information of lakhs feared stolen". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  46. ↑ "IRCTC Data Not Leaked, Everything Safe: Officials". NDTV.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  47. ↑ "IRCTC hacking: Railways claims no leakage of 'sensitive' data". @businessline. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  48. ↑ "IRCTC denies website hack, says everything is safe and secure". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  49. ↑ "Leaked data is not ours, claims IRCTC". Governance Now. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  50. ↑ "Did IRCTC bug leave 2 lakh passengers' information exposed to hackers for 2 years?". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  51. ↑ "How a free travel insurance offer on the Indian Railways website left data of 200,000 passengers exposed to hackers for two years". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  52. ↑ Christopher, Nilesh. "IRCTC | Indian Railways: IRCTC wakes up after 2 years to fix its security bug". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  53. ↑ "User data of more than 900,000 leaked from IRCTC last year, resurfaces on dark web". Hindustan Times Tech. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  54. ↑ "IRCTC may let outside entities access your data now". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  55. ↑ "Indian Railways: Would you like railways to sell your personal data to a private company?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  56. ↑ "Threat to privacy: Is your data with IRCTC safe? Former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi has this to say". The Financial Express. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  57. ↑ "Amid data privacy issues Indian Railways makes Aarogya Setu mandatory for passengers". The Statesman. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  58. ↑ "Indian Railways makes Aarogya Setu app mandatory for train travel". cnbctv18.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  59. ↑ Plumber, Mustafa (12 June 2020). "Aargoya Setu Installation Not Mandatory For Travel By Air, Rail : Centre Tells Karnataka HC". Livelaw.
  60. ↑ Ayyappan, V. (13 December 2020). "Amid protest, Centre reaches out to Sikhs by email through IRCTC". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  61. ↑ "IRCTC sends out nearly 2 crore emails in 5 days highlighting Modi's relationship with Sikh community". The Indian Express. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  62. ↑ "IRCTC sends nearly 2 crore emails in 5 days flagging Narendra Modi's relationship with Sikhs". The Hindu. PTI. 13 December 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 December 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  63. ↑ "IRCTC sends out nearly 2 crore emails on PM Modi's relationship with Sikhs". mint. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  64. ↑ "IRCTC uses user info to send 2 crore emails on PM Modi's relations with Sikh community". India Today. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Indian_Railway_Catering_and_Tourism_Corporation&oldid=381600"