Parliament Question: Punjabi-language Newspapers on Premium Trains Serving Punjab Region

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4353 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 PUNJABI-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS ON PREMIUM TRAINS SERVING PUNJAB REGION 4353. SHRI GURMEET SINGH MEET HAYER: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of reports that Punjabi language newspapers are not consistently available on board Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and other premium trains starting from, passing through/terminating in Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi despite the sizeable Punjabi-speaking population in these regions and if so, the details thereof; (b) the policy/guidelines of Railways/IRCTC regarding distribution of regional language newspapers on long-distance and premium trains; (c) the reasons for the lack of Punjabi newspapers where available newspapers are predominantly Hindi/English and steps taken/being taken to ensure multilingual newspaper supply reflective of passenger demographics; and (d) whether the Government proposes to issue standardised instructions to ensure equitable distribution of regional language newspapers on such services and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): To meet the passenger demands, in areas other than Hindi speaking areas, newspapers of Hindi/English/Regional language in equal proportion are to be supplied onboard in trains like Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, etc. across the country including those passing through/terminating in Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. …2/- §-2- These instructions as mentioned in Commercial Circular 87 of 2001 are implemented by IRCTC over Indian Railways. In case of any discrepancy in this regard, appropriate penal action is taken against the concerned service provider. *****