New Delhi: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Sattvik Council of India (SCI), on Monday, jointly introduced vegetarian food-related services and a vegan traveling experience to holy destinations in the country.
All trains connecting religious towns and cities will receive a Sattvik certification from the Non-Government Organisation (NGO). The SCI said, “The Vande Bharat Express from Delhi to Katra, run by the IRCTC, will be certified as Sattvik, as 18 trains replicate the process.” The Vande Bharat train accommodates most Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
The Council also developed a handbook with the railways catering department that contains a curated menu comprising vegetarian cuisine. The certification is primarily for trains with pilgrimages and religious destinations.
The official statement said, “IRCTC’s base kitchens, executive lounges, budget hotels, food plazas, travel and tour packages, and rail NEER plants will be Sattvik- certified to ensure vegetarian-friendly travel.”
The SCI is “an organization that has designed standardized claims to define vegetarianism in the most robust and credible way, that it sets out the highest standards to ensure vegetarian consumers have confidence,” its website said.
(Avya Mathur)