In order to further monetise its assets, Indian Railway is planning to name platforms of its leading stations. Northern Railway sources said some platforms of New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) will be branded as 'Bail Kolhu' and 'Nourish', as the Railways has granted naming rights to an Uttar Pradesh-based FMCG company. This is on the lines of Delhi Metro Stations which have been christened with a corporate brand as prefix to their existing local name.

The Railways said that the contract has been awarded for naming rights of NDLS platforms under the New, Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme to Hybrid Media, which further tied up with the FMCG firm BL Agro.

With this deal, the FMCG company has become the first such firm to be granted naming rights to platforms, number  14, 15 and 16 in this case.

The tenure of the rights with the firm is for one year initially, starting this October, said a statement issued by the company on Wednesday.

This is the first time that such a tie-up with private players has been made, the officials said. With this agreement, platforms 14 and 15 of NDLS will be branded as ‘Nourish Platform 14 and 15' and platform 16, which is the one on the Ajmeri Gate side of the station, will be branded as ‘Bail Kolhu Platform 16'.

The deal gives the firm naming rights in the platform area, allowing panels, billboards, and vinyl wrapping to sport ‘Bail Kolhu's’ celebrity endorsers Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Nourish's brand ambassador Shilpa Shetty, the statement said.

Leads Brand Connect, a creative and advertising agency, has conceptualized, created and executed the naming rights of all three platforms in its entirety for the FMCG firm. This encompasses beautifying the platforms, creating pink cubicles for women, alongside creating experience zone for the brands, the statement said, adding that it will also take care of the upkeep and maintenance of the branded infrastructure.