Overview
- A Right to Information compilation published in mid-July showed at least 1.27 crore bedroll items went missing from AC coaches between January 2022 and May 2026, with reported thefts rising 56% from 2022 to 2025.
- Thefts cost bedroll contractors an estimated ₹104.51 crore over the four-year period, and contractors commonly recover shortages from attendants’ bills or wages, leaving low-paid workers to shoulder losses.
- The thefts are highly concentrated: ten divisions across seven zones account for about 67% of cases, led by Bikaner (25.76 lakh items) and Ranchi (9.31 lakh).
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked officials to draft a timeline and options under the '52 reforms in 52 weeks' drive, and officials have requested roughly two months to finalise proposals.
- Officials are weighing a multi-pronged package — QR tagging of linen, digital logging via the Coach Mitra app, more CCTV inside coaches, tighter inventory checks and expanded RPF powers — but legal, operational and rollout details remain unresolved.