ABOUT IRCTC
A catering business is an evergreen option for different occasions, especially in a huge and diverse country like India. You might have heard about catering services on occasions like marriages, anniversaries, birthdays, or other auspicious days. But are you aware of the catering services that come under the service of Indian railways? Let us know about the same thoroughly.
The elaborated extension of IRCTC is Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited. Founded on 27th September 1999, this entire company comes under the Government of India and performs under the Ministry of Railways. The Government of India has listed this company as the Mini Ratna (Category-I) as a Central Public Enterprise.
Although many firms work in catering and hospitality services, IRCTC is the only firm that is approved by the Indian Railways.
HOW THIS COMPANY STARTED?
As in the intro you already got to know that IRCTC was founded on 27th Sept 1999. The story of this company begins with the Ministry of Railways intending to provide quality service to the public. Since the time it is founded, it is the sole company having authorization for production and supply services to the Indian Railways.
Since this company was started under the ministry of railways, it used to come under Government ownership entirely. However, at the current time as well, the Indian Government owns 67% of the company’s ownership. Giving the company some independence from a monetary point of view, IRCTC was listed as a Mini Ratna public corporation in May 2008.
RAJNI HASIJA - CHAIRMAN AND MD AT IRCTC
The huge company covering different prospects of public services is being headed by a science scholar having an M.Phil from Delhi University, Smt. Rajni Hasija. She is playing a vital role in the development of IRCTC being the Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of the company. Having a degree in law and post-graduation in Human Resource (HR) Management, she is a full-time director of the Tourism & Marketing field at IRCTC. Along with this, she plays a crucial role in the position of Chairman and MD in this company.
MISSION, VISION, AND MOTIVE OF IRCTC
As you already have the essential knowledge about IRCTC, its ownership, and other necessary details, it's time to understand the vision and motive of this company operated by Indian Railways. For the betterment of society, IRCTC has set its vision as, “To be the leading provider of high-quality travel, tourism, and hospitality related services, for a range of customer segments, with consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.”
Along with its vision, they also have a strong logo and tagline, which is a brand itself. The logo of IRCTC showcases a combination of blue and grey symbols, displaying pan-India connectivity of railways. Their tagline “Lifeline of the nation” perfectly suits the meaning of their logo and vision.
CORE SERVICES OFFERED BY IRCTC
Presently, IRCTC is the only company that provides catering and hospitality services across different railway stations in India. Besides catering and hospitality services, IRCTC has emerged as a provider of some other essential services for the convenience of individuals. Following are the core sectors where this organization contributes to better facilitation.
Food Catering
Food is one of the major concerns when travelling around the town. The main reason behind the same is that we usually don’t trust from a hygiene and health perspective. IRCTC is prominently known for offering food catering services to passengers travelling. Divided into static units, you can get them in the majority of railway stations in the country. Just through a mobile phone, you can easily benefit from the top quality food catering services at a reasonable price.
Hotels and Lounges
Travelling anywhere means you need to look for excellent and hygienic hotels and lounges at affordable prices. There will be no strange if the hotels are charging you many thousands just for some specific hours of stay. In order to rectify this problem, IRCTC also provides hotels and retiring rooms on a low budget. Offering retiring rooms on a low budget doesn’t mean they are of a low quality. Rather, it means the best restrooms at affordable prices. The hotels and rooms of IRCTC ensure ease and convenience for the passengers.
Packaged Drinking Water
Being a passenger at Indian Railways, you most probably have used the packed water bottle of IRCTC. With the brand name Rail Neer, IRCTC produces packaged drinking water bottles for travellers. In the Railway Stations, you may get a variety of water bottles with different brand names. But only IRCTC is the authorized company working on the production and distribution of packaged drinking water throughout all railway stations to the passengers travelling.
Travel and Tourism Assistance
Along with great hospitality and catering assistance, this company is known for its travel and tourism services. Not only in railways but if you wish to travel from the airways, then also their website or app is helpful. The association of IRCTC with hotel bookings and air ticket bookings makes it a complete platform to get benefitted from.
Online Ticket Services
Online ticket services are the most popular and widely used service provided by the company. Most users install the IRCTC app to book their tickets online and track the status of their travel. In the current time, when everyone is running out of time, this app is a great initiative to secure your seat from anywhere, anytime without waiting a long for your turn. Since it is an authorized company by the government, you are free from any scam with your money and privacy.
FACTS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT IRCTC
IRCTC is a great initiative and worth investment by the Ministry of Railways. Giving services in a variety of sectors, IRCTC is playing a vital role in the development of the country. Here are some unknown facts about this company that might amaze you.
1) The next generation of the IRCTC e-ticketing model has the potential to book 7200 tickets per minute. Previously, this number was 2000 tickets per minute. The 7200 tickets in a minute mean 120 tickets just in a second.
2) You might have heard that if a huge number of visitors came to a website at the time, it crashes out, and the server doesn’t respond properly. But things are totally different on the IRCTC website. Here, over 1.5 million users can use it at the same time, and the website responds flawlessly. Moreover, the website also boasts of over 12 million unique visitors every month. Additionally, around 1 million users check their PNR status daily.
3) If you are a female and booking your seat through the IRCTC portal or app, then you do not need to worry that you have to be stuck with 5 men being alone. The algorithm of IRCTC is way more intelligent than we imagine. It will always give you a female companion in your compartment.
BOTTOMLINE
Founded in 1999, IRCTC has played the main role in the development of digitalization in India and the evolution of the Indian Railway service for public welfare. Coming under the category of Catering and Hospitality, the core services of IRCTC includes Food Catering, Hotel and Lounges, Packaged Drinking Water, Travel and Tourism, and Online Ticket Booking Services.
This company has been listed as a Mini Ratna (Category-I) Centre Public Sector Enterprise. Having the potential to manage 1.5 million users at the same time, the IRCTC portal/app can book 7200 tickets in a single minute. The 67% ownership of IRCTC is owned by the Indian Government, making it a leading provider of top-quality travel, tourism, and hospitality-related services.
FAQs
1) Is IRCTC an authorized company?
The Government of India has 67% ownership of IRCTC, and it is the only authorized company from the Ministry of Railways for services like Catering and Hospitality, Online Ticket Booking, Travel and Tourism, and Packaged Drinking Water.
2) What are the services of IRCTC?
IRCTC comes under the category of Catering and Hospitality, and its core services include Food Catering, Hotel and Lounges, Packaged Drinking Water, Travel and Tourism, and Online Ticket Booking.
3) What is the message the IRCTC logo displays?
The official logo of IRCTC comprises a combination of blue and grey symbols. It displays the connectivity of railway networks across pan-India. Also, the tagline of IRCTC is, “Lifeline of the nation”.
4) Who is the Chairman of IRCTC at present?
At present, Smt. Rajni Hasija is the Chairman and Managing Director (MD) at IRCTC. She is a science scholar having an M.Phil from the most recognized university in India, Delhi University.
5) Is it safe for a woman to book a ticket from the IRCTC portal/app?
If you are a female and booking your seat through the IRCTC portal or app, then you do not need to worry that you have to be stuck with 5 men being alone. The algorithm of IRCTC is way more intelligent than we imagine. It will always give you a female companion in your compartment.