Railway Minister Reacts to Controversial Topic, Washing of Blankets Provided on Train
Ashwini Vaishnav claims blankets provided in the train are washed once every month, Strong hygiene practices followed including White-o-meter
A long-awaited controversy in the Indian Railway finally came to a halt after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav talked about the washing cycle of the blankets provided in AC coaches. The Railway Minister informed Lok Sabha members that the blankets are washed once a month and an extra cover is provided in the bed roll which can be used as a cover under the blanket to ensure hygiene.
Congress MP Kuldeep Indora claimed that “whether woolen blankets are washed only once a month while passengers are paying for bedding that meets the basic hygiene standards” Ashwini Vaishnav claimed that "The blankets used in Indian Railways, as per current specifications, are lighter, easy to wash and provide good insulation to passengers for an overall comfortable Journey.”
Over the past few years, Indian Railways has seen drastic changes in terms of hygiene and safety of the passengers. It has developed specifications when sourcing new linen and followed standards and policies. He also claimed that Railways monitor the cleaning and washing of linen.
A special measuring tool is used called the Whito-meter which measures the whiteness in the Linen before they are loaded onto the train. Moreover, new linens are sources frequently to ensure better hygiene, unlike the previous times when the linen was used for a prolonged period.