End of food subsidies expected to result in annual savings of around Rs 17 crore for Parliament
New Delhi:
Northern Railways will hand over the reins of the Parliament canteen to the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) on November 15, ending its 52-year legacy of serving food to parliamentarians.
A letter from the Lok Sabha Secretariat asked the Northern Railways, which have been serving food in the canteen since 1968, to pack their bags and vacate the Parliament premises by November 15.
ITDC, the tourism arm of government, operates the luxury five-star The Ashok Group of Hotels.
“The competent authority wished that the operations of the catering units in the domain of Parliament be taken over by the ITDC 15.11 2020”, indicates the letter.
“The Northern Railway may accordingly hand over electronic gadgets, i.e. computers, printers, etc. provided by the Lok Sabha Secretariat to ITDC and furniture, equipment, gadgets, etc. to CPWD to be handed over by them to ITDC, “said me.
The process of finding a new supplier was launched last year and in July this year Lok Sabha President Om Birla met with Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel and ITDC officials to discuss the question.
ITDC officials said they had been instructed to keep special attention on “food quality” which should suit both “ordinary people and dignitaries”.
Currently, the canteen serves around 5,000 people each session. There are 48 dishes on its menu for lunch and evening snacks.
While matters relating to catering arrangements in the Parliament Complex are usually decided by a Joint Committee on Food Management, in 17th Lok Sabha, however, the Food Committee has not been formed.
The final decision was made by President Om Birla, who took a personal interest in ensuring that better quality food was served in the canteen and that the subsidies were removed.
The end of the grants is expected to lead to annual savings of around Rs 17 crore for Parliament.
