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Worms in Vande Bharat curd spark Rs 60 lakh fines, IRCTC summons Amul
Viral Vande Bharat video triggers crackdown and sharp food safety debate
NEW DELHI: A food safety row on board a Vande Bharat Express has snowballed into a major controversy, with over Rs 60 lakh in penalties imposed and multiple stakeholders, including Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation and Amul, coming under scrutiny.
The incident dates back to March 15, when passenger Ritesh Singh discovered live worms or weevils in a sealed cup of curd served during a journey on the Patna to Tatanagar route. A video capturing the moment quickly went viral, showing the passenger confronting onboard staff. In the clip, a train attendant is heard initially dismissing the insects as kesar, before the seriousness of the situation became apparent.
Early reports suggested the curd may have been past its expiry date or improperly stored, raising concerns over handling practices rather than just sourcing.
The fallout was swift. On March 25, the Railway Board pulled up authorities for what it termed gross negligence, ordering strict action. The catering vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 50 lakh, had its contract terminated with immediate effect and was blacklisted. Meanwhile, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation itself was fined Rs 10 lakh for inadequate supervision and for initially imposing what was seen as a token penalty of Rs 25,000 on the vendor.
The railways have also summoned Amul to explain the apparent breach in product quality, even as the dairy giant has strongly denied responsibility.
In its clarification, Amul maintained that contamination at the manufacturing stage was highly unlikely. The company stated that weevils cannot survive or reproduce in sealed curd due to its acidic nature and lack of oxygen. It further indicated that an internal audit found the batch shown in the viral video did not appear to be sourced through its authorised distribution network, suggesting a possible supply chain lapse at the vendor’s end.
The company also pointed to what it described as an “infested tray” theory, noting that a frame-by-frame review of the video suggested the pests may have crawled into the curd from an external surface rather than being present inside the sealed product during production.
While responsibility continues to be debated, the incident has triggered wider concerns over food safety standards on premium trains. The Railway Board has since ordered surprise inspections across catering services to prevent a repeat.
For passengers, the episode has left a sour aftertaste. For the railways and its partners, it is a clear signal that hygiene lapses, however small, can quickly spiral into a full-blown credibility crisis.
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Kotak Mahindra Prime names Suraj Rajappan as managing director and chief executive
The car-finance arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank lines up a new chief and raises its borrowing limit
MUMBAI: Suraj Rajappan is getting the keys. Kotak Mahindra Prime Limited (KMPL), India’s veteran car-finance outfit, has named him managing director and chief executive, effective June 1st, 2026—the same day his predecessor drives off into retirement.
The board approved the appointment at its meeting on March 18th. Rajappan, currently a whole-time director at the company, has spent his entire 24-year career at KMPL, working across functions before rising to the top job. The three-year term remains subject to shareholder approval, and the company confirmed he faces no bar from SEBI or any other authority from holding the post.
He takes over from Shahrukh Todiwala, who superannuates on May 31st after more than three decades with the Kotak Group. Ashok Vaswani, managing director and chief executive of parent Kotak Mahindra Bank, was generous in his send-off. Todiwala, he said, “leaves behind a legacy marked by prudent growth, strong risk discipline, and a focus on customer-centricity.” Of his successor, Vaswani was equally bullish: Rajappan’s “deep industry experience and execution capabilities position KMPL well for its next phase of growth.”
The board also loosened the purse strings, raising the company’s overall outstanding debt limit from Rs 43,000 crore to Rs 48,000 crore. The expanded ceiling covers bank loans, debentures, commercial paper, treasury operations, credit facilities and external commercial borrowings.
KMPL has operated as a car-finance company since 1996, branching into two-wheeler loans in 2018 and loans against property in 2021. With fresh leadership, a bigger borrowing arsenal and an ambitious lender for a parent, Rajappan’s first task is clear: step on the accelerator.
