StartupTalky

Tag: irctc

  • Zomato Offers IRCTC-Partnered Food Delivery at 100 Train Stations

    Zomato, a company that specializes in meal delivery, has just announced a huge expansion of its food delivery service on trains. Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of the company, mentioned the new development on X (which was formerly known as Twitter). He stated that the company now serves food directly to more than one hundred railway stations across India.

    As a result of Zomato’s cooperation with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Goyal emphasized the fact that the company has successfully fulfilled more than one million orders during its expansion.

    Train Travel Is Set to Undergo a Revolution Thanks to This Partnership

    Through this partnership, the goal is to revolutionise train travel by providing passengers with the opportunity to indulge in a wide range of foods without having to leave the convenience of their seats. At the moment, the service is operational in 88 different cities.

    Zomato’s Chief Executive Officer for Food Delivery, Rakesh Ranjan, expressed his excitement about the company’s partnership with the Indian Railways Corporation of Transportation (IRCTC). This partnership would enable Zomato to offer culinary delights to train passengers, hence enhancing the overall experience of their journeys. When it comes to the magnitude of its collaboration with IRCTC, the company is convinced that it will have an impact on the lives of millions of customers all throughout India and make travelling by rail an experience that is both convenient and enjoyable.

    How the Customer Can Order?

    Customers are able to place orders for meals using the Zomato – Food Delivery in Trains service, regardless of whether they are at the station or inside their train cabin. Each and every passenger will benefit from the convenience.

    When customers open the Zomato app, they have the ability to search for terms such as “train.” It is also possible for customers who are present at the station to update their location by opening the Zomato app. Once they have done so, they will be taken to a banner where they may input their PNR. Soon after the consumer has submitted their PNR, it will immediately retrieve the customer’s seat and train details, thereby ensuring that the delivery partners deliver the order to the appropriate seat.

    Through the utilisation of this cutting-edge method, it is possible to have food orders delivered to the station just as the train is about to arrive. Additionally, customers have the option of picking up their orders from designated pickup points located within the station building. Even in the event that there is a delay in the train, Zomato monitors the train timetables in order to change the delivery times.

    Zomato Is Introducing Their New ‘District’ App
    By launching a new app called District, the food aggregator Zomato is expanding its operations beyond its main business of providing food delivery and quick shopping.
    StartupTalkyNitin Konde

  • Will IRCTC Sell Your Data?

    The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation or more popularly known as the IRCTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indian Railways, Government of India. Established as a public sector company on September 27, 1999, the IRCTC is authorised to provide services like online ticketing, catering and selling drinking water on trains and at railway stations for the Indian Railways.

    IRCTC pioneered internet-based rail ticket booking through its website as well as its mobile app. It offers services like the Tatkal scheme, allowing passengers to book tickets on short notice. It introduced pantry cars for long-distance journeys, serving freshly cooked meals to passengers. It also launched an e-catering service in 2014 allowing passengers to pre-order food from partner restaurants.

    IRCTC also operates and manages air-conditioned waiting lounges, retiring rooms, and budget hotels in partnership with private players. It also organizes budget and deluxe package tours for domestic and foreign tourists. In 2020, IRCTC began operating India’s first private train, The Tejas Express from Lucknow to New Delhi.

    In 2019, IRCTC was listed on the National Stock Exchange following which the Government of India’s stock holding in the company was reduced to 87%. By December 2020, the Indian Government further reduced its holding to 67% as it divested another 20% to be publicly traded.

    IRCTC’s Tender Issuance
    The Background

    How to Create IRCTC Account?

    IRCTC’s Tender Issuance

    A total of 100 million users, 75 million of which are active users, make the extensive databank of IRCTC, which has been collecting user data since 2002. It recently floated a tender in a bid to hire a consultant in an effort to monetize its passenger and freight customer data to generate a revenue of INR 1000 crore. The tender document mentions that the data to be studied would include information that was captured by its various applications like name, age, mobile number, gender, address, email ID, class of journey, payment mode, log-in id and password and other personal details.

    An IRCTC representative clarified that as a commercial entity, IRCTC is constantly exploring new business sectors, apart from its existing enterprises like rail ticket booking, retiring room booking, hotel booking, catering service, bus booking, air ticket booking, etc. Additionally, it does not save the client’s financial information on its servers as the control is transferred to the appropriate payment gateway or bank for due process when the client makes an online payment.

    This move by IRCTC, however, has given rise to certain media reports claiming that it is selling consumers’ personal information in an effort to monetize the information. Even as the Railways has since denied these reports, the tender document can be viewed on the IRCTC website.

    IRCTC, however, has withdrawn the controversial bid and told the Parliamentary standing committee on Information and Technology that the intention behind floating the tender was only to leverage the information to improve its own services. There was never any intention to sell the data to a third party. An IRCTC spokesperson has clarified – “IRCTC has withdrawn tender for appointment of consultant for suggesting business strategies using data available.”

    IRCTC – How Does This Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Company Make Money?
    IRCTC is an Indian company that undertakes ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the Indian Railways. Here’s a look at its business model.
    StartupTalkyShalini Rath

    The Background

    Indian Railways Revenue from FY2017 to FY2023
    Indian Railways Revenue from FY2017 to FY2023

    From the conversations with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, it seems that its intent is to position India as the World’s Artificial Intelligence Model Making Capital and IRCTC may have aspired to be seen among those with the ‘first mover’ advantage. These include pharmaceutical giants, e-commerce firms and fintech companies which are consistently pushing the boundaries of technology while having unfettered access to personal data.

    The reason behind such a move from IRCTC can be attributed to the outdated privacy protection laws that still rely on the IT Act of 2000, which only states that a person can claim compensation if his data is misused. This law does not specify the ownership of the data, hence an individual can lay no claim of ownership on personal data.

    For close to a decade now, the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill for India has been in limbo, which, if introduced, was finally expected to guarantee the right to privacy and data protection this year. It was shelved as the panel which was studying the bill suggested a total of 12 recommendations and 81 amendments. This has forced the government to completely redesign the bill which is expected to be tabled in the parliament by December 2022.

    Business Model of IRCTC | How does IRCTC Make money
    Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is a subsidiary of Indian railways. Lets look at its business model to understand how does IRCTC make money.
    StartupTalkyAbinaya Arangarajan

    Conclusion

    Data is the new oil and for companies that deal with enormous primary data, it can be relatively easy to monetize it as secondary data without stringent laws to govern it. While the government is responsible for national security and safety and could very well be exempt from this law, IRCTC’s brief tryst with data monetization has stressed the importance and urgency to introduce the Data Protection Bill. It is the hope that the Data Protection Bill will become law by 2023.

    FAQs

    What does IRCTC do?

    IRCTC stands for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indian Railways, Government of India and is authorised to provide services like online ticketing, catering and selling drinking water on trains and at railway stations for the Indian Railways.

    How many users does IRCTC have?

    IRCTC has more than 100 million users, 75 million of which are active users.

    Is IRCTC selling user data?

    IRCTC recently floated a tender in a bid to hire a consultant in an effort to monetize its passenger and freight customer data. However, later it withdrew the bid and clarified that the intention behind was only to leverage the information to improve its own services and explore new business opportunities.

  • IRCTC – How Does This Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Company Make Money?

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by IRCTC.

    It can be safe to say, the need for catering services is constant throughout the year. The catering industry provides services to millions of customers worldwide through its variety of channels designed to cater to the customers’ needs. Even though event catering is likely the most well-known form of channel, it is not the only one available.

    In India, the catering business is tremendously huge and growing. It is not only about weddings and birthdays, but we are talking about the catering services on railways which is also a thing that grabs one’s attention.

    Nowadays, the Railway catering services are managed by both the government and some private licensed contractors. IRCTC is the largest government-owned catering service in India today.

    IRCTC, the short-form of Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited, is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India that provides services such as ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the Indian Railways.

    The company was founded in 1999 as an extended business of the Indian Railways to look after the catering and hospitality department at railway stations, in general.

    In this article, discover all the information about IRCTC, its highlights, startup story, its business and revenue model, challenges faced, and much more.

    IRCTC – Company Highlights

    Startup Name IRCTC
    Headquarters New Delhi, India
    Sector Public
    Founder Ministry of Railways
    Industry Railways: Catering and Hospitality
    Founded 27 September 1999
    Revenue Rs 216 crore (March 2022)
    Website www.irctc.com

    IRCTC – About
    IRCTC – Industry
    IRCTC – Leadership
    IRCTC – Startup Story
    IRCTC – Mission and Vision
    IRCTC – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    IRCTC – Business Model
    IRCTC – Revenue Model
    IRCTC – Challenges Faced
    IRCTC – Partnerships and Collaborations
    IRCTC – Mergers and Acquisitions
    IRCTC – Social Media Presence
    IRCTC – Competitors
    IRCTC – Awards and Achievements
    IRCTC – Future Plans

    IRCTC – About

    Termed the Mini Ratna (Category-I), IRCTC comes under the ownership of the Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The company was incorporated with the aim to take over all the catering and hospitality services at every station, and train by creating low-cost accommodations, unique tour packages, informational and promotional materials, and global reservation systems for the development of local and international tourism in India.

    IRCTC has its main administered office in New Delhi along with ten regional offices situated at Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Bhopal, Ahmadabad, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Ernakulam, and Bangalore. The tourism and ticketing offices are located in New Delhi.

    IRCTC is mainly involved in the following activities:

    • Catering and Hospitality
    • E-Ticketing
    • Travel and Tourism
    • Packaged Drinking Water (Rail Neer)

    Currently, IRCTC has its operations located in the following manner,

    Fourteen Rail Neer manufacturing plants at

    • Nangloi (Delhi)
    • Danapur (Bihar)
    • Palur (Tamil Nadu)
    • Ambernath (Maharashtra)
    • Amethi (Uttar Pradesh)
    • Parassala (Tamil Nadu)
    • Bilaspur (Chhatisgarh)
    • Hapur (Uttar Pradesh)
    • Sanand (Gujarat)
    • Mandideep (Madhya Pradesh)
    • Jagiroad (Assam)
    • Maneri (Madhya Pradesh)
    • Nagpur (Maharashtra)
    • Sankrail (Kolkata)

    Eleven Base Kitchens setups at

    • New Delhi
    • Howrah
    • Ahmedabad
    • Patna
    • Mumbai Central
    • Mumbai CST
    • Ballarshah
    • Nagpur
    • Balasore
    • Sealdah
    • Kharagpur

    Five Zonal Offices at

    • New Delhi
    • Mumbai
    • Kolkata
    • Chennai
    • Secundrabad

    Additionally, IRCTC also has its services extended globally. They provide hassle-free tour packages to foreign destinations like the USA, Australia, Europe, Russia, Nepal, Macau, China, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

    IRCTC – Industry

    IRCTC belongs to the Catering and Hospitality industry. It was during the 19th century, that the network of railways began in the country. During that period, traveling was slowly picking up pace as many people started to travel from one part of the country to another, who needed food and drinks for the journey.

    Ever since then, the catering and hospitality industry is increasing at a significant rate with the increase in travel by many tourists.

    Compared to US$28.9 billion in 2018, the Indian tourism and hospitality industry expects to generate US$50.9 billion in traveler exports by 2028.

    IRCTC – Leadership

    IRCTC is headed by Smt. Rajni Hasija. She is the Chairman and MD at IRCTC.

    Smt. Rajni Hasija

    Smt. Rajni Hasija is a science scholar with an M.Phil from Delhi University. A postgraduate in Human Resource Management and a degree in Law, Smt. Rajni Hasija is the whole-time Director of Tourism & Marketing at IRCTC. Along with this role, she also happens to be the Chairman and Managing Director at IRCTC.

    Smt. Hasija has over 29 years of experience in Indian Railways and has also worked in many managerial capacities as well as various public sector undertakings. She played a pioneering role in the creation and growth of the railroads’ www.irctc.co.in website for online ticketing facilities.

    Smt. Hasija has also successfully completed many time-constrained projects for IRCTC, ranging from planning and executing the dynamic online cum counter ticketing platform for the Commonwealth Games 2010 to international marketing of the Maharajas’ Express Luxury Tourist Train.

    She was able to pull this off because of her strong technical knowledge, organising and planning skills, and ability to communicate with her peers and team.

    IRCTC – Startup Story

    The story of IRCTC began in 1999 when the company was incorporated with the aim of the Ministry of Railways. IRCTC was initially entirely owned by the Government of India, but in 2019 it has been listed on the National Stock Exchange, with the Government still maintaining majority ownership. The government owns about 67% of ownership in IRCTC.

    IRCTC is the only enterprise that is authorised to supply specific services to the Indian Railways. They are allowed to offer services such as online ticket booking, catering, and selling of packaged drinking water on trains and at railway stations. It was classified as a Mini Ratna public corporation in May 2008, which gave it some monetary independence.

    IRCTC – Mission and Vision

    Being in the catering and hospitality industry, IRCTC has developed many CSR activities.

    They truly believe in doing for the society, for which their CSR vision is, “To be the leading provider of high-quality travel, tourism, and hospitality related services, for a range of customer segments, with consistently high level of customer satisfaction.”

    IRCTC means the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited. The name rightly tells us the work they do that is providing catering and hospitality services to every railway station across India.

    The tagline of IRCTC says, “Lifeline of the nation”

    The logo of the IRCTC displays a combination of blue and grey symbols, which means pan-India connectivity of railway networks.

    IRCTC – Business Model

    IRCTC business is divided into four main services  – hospitality and catering, online ticket booking for flights, trains, and buses, tour packages for both national and international places, and providing packaged drinking water under the label Rail Neer.

    Here’s an in-depth dig into the business operations of IRCTC:

    IRCTC boasts of being one of the largest hospitality and catering companies in the county. The catering business of IRCTC scatters across every passenger train in India, railway stations, and in and around the station premises.

    The hospitality and catering business is split into three parts:

    Mobile Catering Business

    IRCTC oversees all of the Indian Railways’ onboard catering operations in more than 460 passenger trains with pantry cars, including the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Gatimaan Express, Mail/Express, and recently introduced Vande Bharat Express, and Tejas Trains.

    In all of these trains, the pantry carriages are installed from which they get their onboard catering services.

    Other Catering Services (OCS)

    Under this service, its business is divided into two categories:

    Static Catering Businesses

    Under this business, IRCTC has static catering businesses as well. It’s amusing to know that IRCTC also indulges in managing Train side vending (TSV) on Mail/Express and Superfast trains that do not have the option of pantry cars.

    With the help of TSVs, the onboard merchants take orders from the customers who have been offered with the menu chart. After the prescribed order is confirmed, the food is then picked up by vendors at the designated “meal pick-up places”,  and it is then given to the passengers.

    Base Kitchens

    Another static business of IRCTC is Base Kitchens. The Ministry of Railways upgraded a total of 46 base kitchens with the object of producing high-quality meals for every one of its customers on trains.

    These kitchens are in process and will be equipped with modern technology. Furthermore, the Ministry of Railways is soon going to activate CCTC cameras for live streaming in the public domain along with QR code facilities on meal packets.

    Besides these two static businesses, IRCTC is also involved in other ancillary business activities. They have Food Plazas, fast food units, cell kitchens, and refreshment rooms.

    Other Hospitality Businesses

    IRCTC has also introduced other hospitality businesses like:

    Executive Lounge

    The idea is to provide and cater to the demands of the mid-segment and high-end passengers. It wanted to build a comfortable place inside the railway stations to dining in hygienic surroundings. The company took inspiration from airport lounges, it has already opened eight Executive Lounges in the Railway Stations mainly at the New Delhi (Paharganj Side & Ajmeri Gate side), Agra Cantt, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Madurai, Sealdah, and Varanasi. Some of the other facilities provided at these lounges are wifi services, reclining sofas to relax, shower facilities, etc.

    Retiring Rooms

    IRCTC has already established retiring rooms at 19 railway stations. Furthermore, there are many rooms, which are under construction right now. The concept of these rooms is to enhance the accommodation facilities for the travelling passengers.

    Rail Yatri Niwas/BNR hotels

    At present, there are two Rail Yatri Niwas at New Delhi and Howrah railway stations and two BNR Hotels at Puri, Odisha, and Ranchi, Jharkhand.

    E-catering Business

    The most recent expansion of IRCTC’s catering and hospitality operations is E-Catering. This new business by the company is a combination of technology and cuisine.

    With the help of a smartphone application, customers can order food from participating restaurants and food outlets using this internet-based service while riding a train. The passengers’ seats or berths are where food is delivered. To enjoy the service, customers have to book in advance.

    Online ticket or Internet Ticketing

    IRCTC launched its internet ticketing facility in 2002, and ever since then, IRCTC has made the lives of many travellers easy and convenient.

    As per data and survey, there have been 15.88 lakh e-tickets booked as of 21st March 2022.

    This proves that the company has emerged as one of the largest e-commerce websites not in India but also in Aisa Pacific.

    Tourism business

    Apart from just catering and hospitality business, IRCTC has put its benchmark in the tourism department as well. The company has played a majestic role in the development of rail tourism in India.

    With its website www.irctctourism.com, the company offers a myriad of options Rail based Packages, Hotels, and Railway Retiring Rooms to provide the users with a one-stop solution to all their travel needs.

    By 2015, IRCTC started giving tour packages that include flight booking, hotel accommodation, sightseeing, etc. These packages are meant for both national and international trips.

    One of the most unique services provided by IRCTC is the Land Packages. These packages are meant for those customers who are interested in visiting temples for darshans, more commonly for teertha darshan.

    It also offers air ticketing, and bus ticketing and has now also ventured into cruise bookings targeting both domestic and international markets.

    Packaged Drinking Water

    Another major business of IRCTC is manufacturing packaged drinking water known as Rail Neer. Rail Neer is the company’s own branded packaged drinking water.

    Presently, the company has fourteen operational manufacturing plants of Rail Neer. These are located at Nangloi, Danapur, Palur, Ambernath, Amethi, Parassala, Bilaspur, Sanand, Hapur, Mandideep, Nagpur, Jagiroad, Maneri, and Sankrail. In addition to this, the company is planning to set up six other plants to increase the production capacity of 18.40 lakh bottles per day in FY 2021-22.

    IRCTC – Revenue Model

    IRCTC’s most of its earnings are through its internet ticketing facility. The company has reported that a total amount of Rs. 38178.32 crores was collected as ticket fare from the users of E-ticketing during the year 2021-22. It has also been shared by IRCTC that the total number of tickets booked was 4174.49 Lakhs, which is 140% of the previous year.

    IRCTC gets 63% from e-ticketing, 22% from the catering business, 8% from Rail Neer, 7% from tourism, and the rest from State teertha.

    IRCTC – Challenges Faced

    In 2016, there was a case against the IRCTC by the Mumbai police for not maintaining its customers’ data. The allegation was that the company was involved in leaking the private data of its 10 million customers.

    The company also faced criticism that there were data breaches and exposures, and there are worries that the government may have utilised passenger information to transmit targeted advertisements.

    Another challenge faced by IRCTC was during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protests. The company was criticised for sending emails without its customer’s content.

    The email advertised the benefits of government policies to Sikh farmers who are protesting under the subject “PM Modi and his government’s special relationship with Sikhs”. Later, it was found that these emails were sent to promote government messages.

    IRCTC – Partnerships and Collaborations

    Earlier this year, IRCTC announced that it has partnered with Paytm to digitise its ticketing system for customers through its Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) installed at every railway station. Its online ticketing system now has QR code digital payment solutions.

    On 21 February 2022, IRCTC collaborated with the Bank of Baroda to launch  IRCTC BOB Loyalty Cobranded Credit Card on the RuPay platform.

    Previously, it has also collaborated with SBI to come up with a travel credit card called IRCTC Rupay SBI card. The credit card gives access to various benefits like railway lounges, travel offers, rewards, and many other benefits.

    IRCTC – Mergers and Acquisitions

    As per sources, the Central government is planning to merge the six public sector undertakings (PSUs) by the end of 2023.

    The companies which are likely to be merged are Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) with Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON), RailTel Corporation with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), and Braithwaite and Co Limited with Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES).

    The Ministry of Railways hopes to get better funding and boost the overall value of these PSUs with this merge.

    IRCTC – Social Media Presence

    The IRCTC does strong advertising and branding on its social media profiles. The company does seem to be quite active on its social media channels by posting various interactive and informative posts regarding its services.

    You can follow the company for its latest updates on its Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn page.

    IRCTC – Competitors

    The tourism and hospitality sectors are swarming in the Indian market, which of course, gives rise to tough competition between these companies. IRCTC is not alone in the catering business, many other companies give a tough fight. IRCTC competes with the following companies:

    • Interglobe Aviat
    • Delhivery
    • Indian Hotels Co.
    • Blue Dart Expres.
    • Devyani International Ltd.
    • Easy Trip planners Ltd.
    • Westlife Development Ltd.
    • Sapphire Foods
    • TCI Express
    • Chalet Hotels
    • Restuarant Brand
    • Lemon Tree Hotel
    • NIIT
    • Mahindra Holiday
    • Thomas Cook
    • ITDC
    • SpiceJet

    IRCTC – Awards and Achievements

    Throughout its journey, IRCTC has come a long way in receiving many achievements or milestones to take its catering and tourism services to newer heights.

    Some of the achievements of IRCTC are:

    • IRCTC launched a new e-Ticketing Website & Mobile App for the booking of online Railway Ticket (2020)
    • A payment wallet named iMudra provides an easy way to book railway tickets, and pay, send or withdraw money. (launched in 2019)
    • Launched the first semi-private Train ”Kashi Mahakaal’ inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2020)
    • Launched second semi-private train ”Tejas” between Mumbai and Ahmedabad (2020)
    • Launched Tejas Express from Mumbai CST to Karmali, Goa (2017)

    IRCTC – Future Plans

    IRCTC has shown great results in the stock market. Many experts believe that the company is planning to grow exponentially. It is expected that stocks would grow from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 stock level. As of 2021, the market capitalisation of IRCTC is Rs63,726 crore.

    From the looks of this tremendous growth, the future of IRCTC seems bright. It is also assumed that with the rise of internet usage, the company will see a growth in its online ticketing business at a CAGR of 17% in the coming years.

    FAQs

    What is the revenue of IRCTC?

    The revenue of IRCTC was $300 million as of 2020.

    When was IRCTC founded?

    IRCTC was founded on 18 February 1905.

  • Business Model of IRCTC | How does IRCTC Make money

    Of course, being an Indian, you would definitely travel a lot by train even if the distance is literally from one city to another. But what if you have to itinerant from one state to another for instance- You can’t run for each train in each station from Chennai to Mumbai right? That’s Why the Indian Government established IRCTC – an effortless e-ticketing booking website & mobile app, scheduled train system, hospitality and catering services to travellers.

    Besides, IRCTC promulgates One-Stop Solutions such as Tour Packages, Packaged drinking water Lounges & restaurants according to the tourist’s budget and global reservation.

    IRCTC launched on 27th September 1999 and over 20 years the organisation has become an ultimate revenue source in the development of GDP in India. Currently, the corporation is worth 460 million USD and earning around 900 USD per day by generating services.

    Where does IRCTC operate?
    Main Products and Services of IRCTC
    Target Audience of IRCTC
    Business Model of IRCTC
    What is unique about the IRCTC business model
    FAQ

    Where does IRCTC operate?

    IRCTC operates around and across India, 14 Rail Neer plants at Nangloi, Danapur, Palur, Ambernath, Amethi, Parassala, Bilaspur, Hapur, Sanand, Mandideep, Jagiroad, Nagpur, Sankrail and Maneri;

    These centres have been established for low-cost packaged drinking water to tourists. Moreover; 11 Base Kitchen has catering services which are located in New Delhi, Patna, Mumbai, Central Mumbai, Ballarshah, Nagpur, Howrah, Balasore, Chennai, Kolkata, Kharagpur, Sealdah and Secunderabad.

    With the expectation of services, IRCTC bestows 5 zones offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Secunderabad and Kolkata.

    Ten regional offices at Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Patna, Ernakulam, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Ahmadabad, Guwahati and Jaipur.

    Besides; IRCTC owns One e-ticketing and tourism office in New Delhi.

    Other than that, IRCTC offers foreign destinations to the USA,  Russia, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Nepal, Macau, China, Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri lanka etc.

    RailYatri – Company Profile | Book Train Tickets Online
    RailYatri provides detailed information to its passengers, allowing them to make decisions, simplifying their journeys. Know more about its company profile.
    StartupTalkySarika Anand

    Main Products and Services of IRCTC

    IRCTC is an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. with a main purpose to facilitate the development of rail tourists across the country. Apart from railway, IRCTC provides domestic and international tourism that subsumes flight or bus tickets, accommodations, tour packages inside and out- sightseeing and other travel needs.

    Furthermore, IRCTC eases foreign tour packages to Dubai, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Nepal, USA, Singapore etc.

    Does it sound so fun, when you are travelling on IRCTC along with your friends, Damn, what else is needed? When IRCTC is ready to provide all facilities you are looking for from the beginning to end of your journey at an affordable price which depends on the booking class- AC first class, AC 2-Tier, AC 3-Tier, First class, AC Chair Car, Sleeper and second sitting. For instance, if you are in an AC F-class then the fare costs an arm and a leg.

    IRCTC provides Air Packages, Rail Based Tourism, Tourism accommodation, Air e-ticketing, Bus ticketing and sells packaged drinking water.

    Target Audience of IRCTC

    IRCTC focuses on the citizens who travel from one place to another. Additionally, as of 2019 more than 20 million users have been registered on the IRCTC portal.

    Business Model of IRCTC

    The IRCTC offers five major services to the Indian public. The services offered are E-Ticketing, Packaged Drinking water, Catering, Tourism and State Teertha.

    As of 2021, the IRCTC makes most of its profit from e-ticketing and catering services as it provides 63% and 22% of the total revenue respectively.

    Travel and tourism contribute to 7% of the revenue with packaged water about 8%.

    The Tatkal scheme by IRCTC is a scheme that is widely used by people in which people can book the tickets for travel one day prior to their travel on the Indian Railways Internet Portal.

    Detail Analysis: Effects on Tourism Industry Due To COVID-19
    Let us discuss the impact of COVID-19 corona virus on the tourism industry of different countries.
    StartupTalkyYash Gupta

    What is unique about the business model of IRCTC

    What makes IRCTC stand out apart from the fact that it is a monopoly in India are the services offered by the company:

    E-Ticketing

    The Internet ticket sale by IRCTC was launched in 2002 and it is the only authorised application to sell railway tickets by the Indian Railways. The website is managed by TCS. IRCTC books nearly 8 lakh tickets daily through this feature.

    Catering

    IRCTC is the largest catering company operating in India. In 2020, catering accounted for 38% of the revenue. The catering services given by IRCTC are Static Catering, Mobile Catering Business, E-Catering and other services like executive lounges, budget hotels at major railway stations, etc.

    Tourism

    IRCTC offers budget and deluxe packaged tours for foreign and domestic tourists. The company also offers adventure tourism packages that include activities like water sports, wildlife treks, etc. It also offers services like Air tickets and corporate travel, Mass tourism, etc.

    Packaged Drinking Water

    IRCTC has a packaged drinking water service known as Rail Neer that offers pure and safe packaged water to customers. On average, it sells about 34 million water bottles per month.

    State Teertha

    State Teertha is a scheme sponsored by the state governments for pilgrimage trains and due to the COVID pandemic, this scheme did not see much success.  

    Conclusion

    Gone are the days when long queues were the only way to book a railway ticket. With the IRCTC offering online ticket booking people from anywhere in India with a smartphone can book their tickets hassle-free.

    Despite the COVID pandemic and the profit drop of 26.6 percent suffered by the IRCTC, the company has bounced back. The expected growth in online ticketing with a CAGR of 17% in the upcoming years; the growing catering industry is also expected to have a growth rate of CAGR of 18% making the IRCTC a successful venture.

    FAQ

    What is IRCTC?

    Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) is a subsidiary completely owned by the Indian Railways. It provides services like ticketing, catering and tourism.

    Is IRCTC a private company?

    No, IRCTC is majority-owned by the government of India.

    What is the revenue of IRCTC?

    IRCTC’s total revenue for FY20 was INR 2353.53 crore with a net profit of INR 528.57 crore. As of 2020, the company’s net assets are valued at US $460 million with total equity being US $ 190 million.

  • RailRestro – Fresh And Delicious Food Delivery In Train

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by RailRestro.

    Today, nearly 6 billion people travel in Indian Railway and we Indians love this journey more than any other mode of transport. Train journeys, especially lengthy ones can get you hungry while you resist the desire to eat from the in-train caterer. The media has uncovered the pathetic side of train meals. This has made commuters apprehensive about consuming these meals.

    To counter this issue, Manish Chandra came up with the concept of RailRestro. The objective of RailRestro is to ensure the easy and convenient availability of great food choices with variety & assortment and prepared in hygienic kitchen conditions for all consumer goods.

    RailRestro – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Railrestro.com
    Headquarter Patna, India
    Sector E-catering, E-commerce
    Founders Mr Manish Chandra, Ms Suman Priya (Co-founder)
    Founded 2015
    Parent Organization Yescom India Softech Pvt Ltd
    Website railrestro.com

    RailRestro – About and How it Works
    RailRestro – Founders and Team
    RailRestro – Target Market Size
    How was RailRestro Started?
    RailRestro – Business Model and Revenue Model
    RailRestro – Growth and Revenue
    RailRestro – User Acquisition
    RailRestro – Logo and Meaning
    RailRestro – Funding
    RailRestro – Startup Challenges
    RailRestro – FAQs

    List of Food Startups in India | [2019 Exhaustive List]
    India has a humongous food industry, the sixth largest in the world. Retail
    startups account for about 70% of the total sales in this segment. According to
    reports, the Food & Retail market will be worth $ 828.92 billion by 2020. The
    food-tech industry is growing rapidly with the emergence and devel…
    StartupTalkyAshwini

    RailRestro – About and How it Works

    Railrestro was founded in the year 2015 to provide healthy & hygienic food in the Indian railways operated trains. Passengers can easily order food in train. It partnered with almost 8000 premium restaurants around the country. The company’s vision is to make healthy and hygienic food available in the train.

    Research shows statics of food poisoning in the train and people are helpless to eat non-healthy food while traveling. The company’s motive is to provide all kinds of food to the Indian Railway travelers so that they can have healthy and well-cooked food in the train. Railretsro.com provides all kinds of meals on the wheel for travelers starting from baby food to the heavy Thalis of specific regions in the country.

    RailResto provides Online food in train

    Through its PAN-India based business, it has also helped numerous restaurants to increase their revenue by allowing them to deliver food in the train with the partnership of Railrestro.

    The team believes in making the Indian Travelers railway journey a healthy, hygienic, and tasty one. The business slogan of the startup Ralrestro.com is “spice up your train journey”.

    You have numerous cuisines to pick from like North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Mughlai, Hyderabad, Continental, Italian, Non-vegetarian, Vegetarian, and, of course, soft drinks. Besides all this, they ensure you that the local food suppliers, they have partnered with, cook hygienic food so that you do not have to rely on unhealthy snacks.

    The railway food delivery company tracks the train in real time and makes sure that fresh food is made available to the passengers travelling in the train through its network restaurants across India. It provides online food in train at around 300 railway stations in India direct from the restaurant at the seat. Payments can be made directly online while placing the order or you can pay on delivery of the food too.

    RailRestro – Founders and Team

    Husband and Wife duo, Manish Chandra and Suman Priya are the Founders of Railrestro.

    Founders of Railrestro
    Manish Chandra and Suman Priya, Founders of Railrestro

    Manish Chandra is the CEO & Director at Railrestro. He is a serial entrepreneur who has keen interest into e-commerce marketing buildups and startup Ideas

    Suman Priya is Director and Co-founder at Railrestro. She is an inspiration who showed her faith in Manish’s idea and helped him with full zeal to actualize the business idea into a business operation.

    Currently there are more than 100 people working in-office and more than 300 work as delivery chain, freelancer and Marketing professionals.

    “We hire only those motivated youths who believe in startup concept and ready to work for it. Our team enjoy a lot while working in the office. The environment is friendly and lively. Clubbed birthday celebration, anniversary celebration, lunch parties and festivals are organized frequently”, says RailRestro owner Manish Chandra about the office culture.

    Railrestro Team
    Railrestro Team

    RailRestro – Target Market Size

    The company is into the e-catering services and having the authorization of IRCTC e-catering, it is operating in PAN India. It has served around 50 lakh meals on the train. The target audience is all the Indian railways’ travelers. RailRestro is into e-commerce so all the measurement is done digitally with its AI-enabled website.

    How was RailRestro Started?

    Frequent railway journeys during Manish Chandra’s ( Railrestro owner) college times made him realize the need for good food in the train. It was somewhere put in his mind to ring about some resolution to the food problems in the train. With the IRCTC portal and its partnership programs, the company came up in the market.

    Initially, Railrestro owner, Manish discussed the idea with his family members and they were also the first investor of this company. His parents helped him to channelize and operate the business in the initial days. Later, Manish connected to different people in the same sector and fortunately, Railrestro received very good responses from the customers.

    How Online Food Delivery Startups are dealing with CoronaVirus Outbreak?
    The Coronavirus or COVID-19 which started last year in December in Wuhan, China
    has impacted the global economy and no industry sector has remained immune to
    it. All businesses, startups and industries across the globe are coming up with
    safety measures to deal with the virus like asking employees t…
    StartupTalkyVarad Kitey

    RailRestro – Business Model and Revenue Model

    RailRestro has marketplace kind of business model, with wide network of vendor tie-ups with restaurants across India. It also has railrestro app for online food order in train. Passengers travelling via train can order food from the Railrestro Website, railrestro app or via call. It offers food as per the traveler preferences across multiple locations in India. It is an ISO certified company. Travellers need to provide their PNR details or train number information on the website to enable smooth delivery on time.

    RailRestro – Growth and Revenue

    During the first 3 months of Inception, RailRestro ran on a no-profit and no-loss model. It gained traction when it partnered with IRCTC, and started processing 600 orders/day nine months after starting out. The company’s revenue is estimated to be around $17M per year.

    RailRestro – User Acquisition

    The startup believes in providing a quality service to the passengers and that’s the single factor that attracts the customers to the brand. However, they are also onto the digital sphere so Google ads, Facebook campaigns, influencers programs also helped them to make Railretsro.com known amongst the general public at large.

    RailRestro – Logo and Meaning

    RailRestro embarked on this journey to be the most preferred brand for ordering meals during train journeys in India. Its logo has rail restro written between a symbol of train and a set of spoon, knife and fork. Rail Restro represents a restaurant in rail. It symbolizes that we can get our food in train from trusted restaurants. Its Logo rightly signifies the activities of the startup.

    RailRestro – Funding

    RailRestro is currently Bootstrapped (Nov 2020). It has no outside funding or other support launches.

    RailRestro – Startup Challenges

    “When we started our business the biggest challenge was to connect with the Restaurants and making them agree for the food deliveries in the train”, recalls Manish Chandra, founder and CEO of Railrestro.

    Initially the restaurant tie-ups were very difficult due to the trust issues and digital-unawareness. Slowly, their marketing team turned this hurdle into its strength by tie-up with more than 8,000 restaurants in each corner of the country.

    RailRestro – FAQs

    What is RailRestro?

    RailRestro is an e-catering and e-commerce company in the food industry for Railway food delivery. It serves online food order in train.

    Who is RailRestro owner?

    Manish Chandra is the owner of RailRestro.

    When was RailRestro founded?

    RailRestro was founded in 2015.

    How is the RailRestro’s review?

    It has been rated around 4 by the customers who ordered food in train from RailRestro.

  • These companies are Enjoying the Monopoly in India

    A Monopoly is a situation in the market when a specific company or an enterprise is the only supplier of a particular product in the country. India has some companies in which have a monopoly in the market. Let’s look at the companies which have a monopoly in the Indian market.

    IRCTC
    Coal India
    ITC
    Pidilite
    Nestle
    Marico
    Hindustan Zinc
    HAL
    FAQ

    IRCTC

    IRCTC has a 100% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. IRCTC stands for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. IRCTC is a subsidiary company of Indian railways which involves in providing services such as ticketing, catering and tourism.

    The company was founded in the year 1999 and has its headquarters located in New Delhi, India. The Company in the beginning was fully owned by the Government of India under the control of Indian Railways but during the year 2019, the company was listed on the National Stock exchange (NSE). The majority shareholding is still with the Government of India.

    IIT graduate put behind bars for developing faster rail ticket booking app
    An IIT graduate probably had the most purest of ideas when he developed arailway ticket booking app, which facilitated bookings at greater ease. However,the innovation did not go down well with the Ministry of Railways and thegraduate now finds himself locked up. According to reports, IIT Kharag…
    StartupTalkyTanusha Verma

    Coal India

    Coal India has an 82% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Coal India Limited is also a company which is undertaken by the Government of India. The company was founded in the year 1975 and has its headquarters in Kolkata, India.

    Coal India is the largest coal-producing company in the world. The company is also a Maharatna public sector undertaking. The company has a contribution of around 82% of the total coal production in India. Coal India is owned by the Union Government of India and its operations are taking place through the Ministry of Coal. It is the 8th most valuable company in India.

    Amul Case Study | The Story Behind The White Revolution
    Amul is an Indian dairy cooperative society based out of Anand that lies inGujarat. The word ‘Amul’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Amulya’ which meanspriceless or precious. This case study on Amul discusses the history of Amul, its business model,revenue, and the key factors behind Amul’s s…
    StartupTalkyVarad Kitey

    ITC

    ITC has a 77% monopoly in their respective sector that is the manufacturing of Cigarettes in India. ITC Limited is an Indian based multinational conglomerate. The company was founded in the year 1910 and has its headquarters located in Kolkata, India.

    ITC has a monopoly over their cigarette brands in the country other than that they have a wide range of products and services such as Hotels, FMCG, Packaging, Paperboards, Agribusiness and Specialty Papers. The company was formerly known as India Tobacco Company limited and later in the year 1974 it was renamed as ITC Limited where ITC doesn’t stand for any acronym.

    Pidilite

    Pidilite has 70% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Pidilite Industries Limited is an Indian based manufacturing company. It was founded in the year 1959 and has its headquarters located in Mumbai, India.

    Pidilite Products
    Pidilite Products

    The company is mostly involved in the manufacturing of adhesives and also has its monopoly share in the adhesive manufacturing sector. Other than this the company is involved in consumer products such as art materials, food and fabric care, car products, stationery materials, etc.

    They are also involved in the manufacturing of specialty industrial products such as industrial pigments, industrial adhesives, textile resins and leather chemicals.
    One of the major brands under Pidilite is Fevicol.

    Top Profitable Retail Business Ideas in India (Categorized by investments)
    The Retail industry in India has emerged as fast-paced industries due to manynew retailers. Retail business in India accounts for 10% of GDP and 8% ofemployment. India is one of the top 5 retail markets in the world by economicvalue. It is one of the fastest-growing retail markets in the world. …
    StartupTalkyArbaz Sayed

    Nestle

    Nestle has a 97% monopoly in their respective sector that is Cerelac in India. Nestle is a Switzerland based multinational conglomerate. It was founded in the year 1866 and has its headquarters in Vaud, Switzerland. The company is involved in the manufacturing of food and drinking products. Nestle is the largest food company in the world.

    Nestle Products
    Nestle Products

    Cerelac is an instant cereal which is manufactured under Nestle. Other than this Nestle has a wide range of products such as baby food, medical food, bottled water, coffee and tea, dairy products, confectionaries, ice cream, chocolates, frozen food, pet foods, etc.

    Marico

    Marico has a 73% monopoly in their respective sector that is Premium Edible Oils in India. Marico is an Indian based company. The company was founded in the year 1990 and has its headquarters in Mumbai, India. Marico is one of India’s leading companies in the consumer goods sector.

    Other than Premium edible oils the company has a wide range of products and brands such as hair care, skincare, male grooming, health foods, fabric care, etc. Marico has its presence in almost 25 countries across Africa and Asia.

    Hindustan Zinc

    Hindustan Zinc has a 78% monopoly in their respective sector that is the manufacturing of Zinc in India. Hindustan Zinc Limited is an Indian integrated mining and resource-producing company. The company is undertaken by a Central Public Sector. The company was founded in the year 1966 and has its headquarters located in Rajasthan, India.

    The company is involved in the mining and resource production of zinc, lead, cadmium and silver. In the year 2003 Hindustan Zinc was sold to Vedanta Ltd. Currently, the company is a subsidiary company of Vedanta Ltd.

    Most Profitable Wholesale Business Ideas in India – Exclusive List 2020
    Wholesaling is the process of selling your products in huge amounts to anotherretailer normally at a discounted price then the retailer[https://startuptalky.com/top-profitable-retail-business-ideas/] sells the products totheir customers. Wholesale business ideas are one of the most profitable opt…
    StartupTalkySouvik Dey

    HAL

    HAL has a 100% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited which is commonly known as HAL is an Indian company that is owned by the state. The company was founded in the year 1940 and has its headquarters in Bangalore, India. HAL is an aerospace and defense company.

    HAL is involved in the operation of aerospace and is also involved in the design, assembling and fabricating of aircraft, jet, engines, helicopters and their spare parts. The company is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of defense.

    Top 5 Innovative Space Startups of India
    As India is making some huge advancements in space tech, Many space startups ofIndia are grabbing the attention of investors. Surviving in an Indian startupspace is not easy with fierce competition around you. 60 to 70% of the startupsfail without even emerging to the top, so emerging as a space …
    StartupTalkyArbaz Sayed

    FAQ

    What is a good example of a monopoly?

    A monopoly is a firm who is the sole seller of its product, and where there are no close substitutes. Examples: Microsoft and Windows.

    What are the 4 types of monopolies?

    Natural monopoly, Geographic monopoly, Government monopoly, and Technological monopoly are 4 types of monopolies.

    Is Coca Cola a monopoly?

    Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc are not a monopoly because they are in one of the most crowded industries – Drinks and Soft Drinks.

    Conclusion

    These are the top companies that has a monopoly in the Indian market. A monopoly market has its own benefits and disadvantages. It is always good for a country to have a mixture of companies with some monopoly companies.