Railway Minister Highlights Alarming Shortage: Over 240,000 Vacancies In Group C Positions”

New Delhi, 10th August 2023: During the Monsoon Session, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw apprised the Parliament of the current status of job vacancies within the railway sector. He revealed that there is a noteworthy shortage of personnel across various zones of the Railway system in Group C positions, with over 240,000 vacancies. Additionally, there are 2,070 unoccupied positions in Group A and B categories. This information was presented in response to a query posed by Sushil Kumar Modi, a BJP Rajya Sabha member. The data provided by the minister is current up to July 1, 2023.

Elaborating further, the minister conveyed in a written response that as of June 30, 2023, a total of 128,349 candidates have been selected for Group ‘C’ positions (excluding Level-1) by the notifications issued. Notably, Indian Railways has implemented a horizontal reservation of 10 per cent in Level 1 and 5 per cent in Level 2 for all eligible Agniveer candidates.

Regarding recruitment, the Indian Railways has extended a five-year age relaxation solely to the initial batch of candidates, while subsequent batches will be granted a three-year age relaxation when applying for various positions within the organization. In a gesture to uplift Agniveers, it was disclosed that no physical efficiency test will be mandated for the recruitment process, including roles in the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF).

Furthermore, it was reported that there are a total of 248,895 vacancies across all railway zones for Group C positions, alongside 2,070 vacant posts in Group A and B. Within the Group C category, 128,349 candidates have been shortlisted for positions (excluding Level-1) based on the notifications. This information was shared in a tweet by ANI on August 7, 2023.

Traditionally, recruitment announcements within the Indian Railway Board are categorized into groups. These groups comprise Gazetted positions (Group “A” and “B”), which are filled through competitive exams conducted by the UPSC, and Non-Gazetted positions (Group “C” and “D”).

– Group A: This category encompasses positions that are typically filled through competitive exams such as the Civil Service Exam, Engineering Service Exam, and Combined Medical Service Examination, all conducted by the UPSC.

– Group B: Comprising deputation-based roles, Group B posts include positions like Section Officers Grade, which involve elevated responsibilities for Group ‘C’ railway employees.

– Group C: This group encompasses diverse positions such as Station Master, Ticket Collector, Clerk, Commercial Apprentice, Safety Staff, Traffic Apprentice, and various Engineering roles (Electrical, Signal & Telecommunication, Civil, Mechanical), among others.

Group D: The Group D category in the railway department includes roles like Track-man, Helper, Assistant Points Man, Safaiwala/Safaiwali, Gunman, Peon, and various other positions in different cells and boards.