Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha on Friday told the Rajya Sabha what India’s railway passengers may have long feared. Sinha said the blankets given to passengers in trains are only washed once every two months, while bed sheets, bed rolls and pillow covers are cleaned daily. A day after the Railway Budget was presented in Parliament, Sinha was responding to a query on hygiene during Question Hour in the Upper House. Around 23 million people use the Indian Railways every day.

A railway official defended the protocol, saying that blankets cannot be washed every day and hence an extra bedding/sheet is provided. The official told The Times of India that the blankets are sanitised once a fortnight to kill germs and odour. Sinha also said the railways was setting up 25 more mechanised laundries, adding that 85% of passengers will get cleaner linen in two years. Chairman of the House Hamid Ansari then said in jest that perhaps passengers needed to carry their own bed linen, which Sinha said was "good advice".