IREM Rule No.179: PROCEDURE – IREM Vol-I, Chapter-I, Section-B, Sub-section-IV: Recruitment of Group ‘D’ Railway Servants

(I)       PROCEDURE

179.    The following procedure shall apply in respect of recruitment of Group ‘D’ railway servants other than Rakshaks (Sainiks) employed in the Railway Protection Force who are governed by the provisions of Railway Protection Force Act, 1957 and the Rules framed there under.

(i) Periodicity of Recruitment:- Recruitment should be made at interval of one year to two years.

(ii) Recuitment Units:- The unit for recruitment shall normally be the Division, major workshops, Locosheds, C&W Sick lines P.W.I. lengths, etc. Recruitment for each category will be made separately. If necessary, there may be more than one unit for recruitment in a Division.

(iii) Eligibility for Recruitment:- No direct recruitment shall be made to higher grades in Group ‘D’ except – 

(a) in certain categories where serving employees in lower grades do not offer; and

(b) where they cannot be trained in time in case of expansion or for embarking on new projects.

(iv) Academic/ Technical Qualification:- Will be inserted later as the question is under review.

(v) Age limits and physical fitness:-

(a) The age for recruitment to Group ‘D’ categories will be 18 to 28 years.

(b) Will be inserted later as the question is under review; and

(c)(i) The upper age limit is relaxable by 5 years in the case of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates.

(ii) Relaxation in age limits for other categories of candidates like the physically handicapped, ex-servicemen etc. will be governed by orders issued by the Board from time to time.

(vi) Procedure of Recruitment:- An Employment Notice indicating the total number of vacancies, the number of vacancies reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and ex-servicemen, scale of pay, qualifications prescribed etc. as well as the last date for receipt of applications, should be prepared in due time and issued to Employment Exchanges within the recruitment unit and to the recognized Associations of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes so that adequate publicity is given with a view to attracting the maximum number of local residents. The notices should also be sent to Special Employment Exchanges and the Vocational Rehabilitation Centres in the case of vacancies reserved for physically handicapped and to the Director General (Resettlement) and the Rajya and the Zila Sanik Boards in the case of vacancies reserved for ex-servicemen. Copies of these notices should also be exhibited on notice boards outside railway offices etc. situated in the area of recruitment.

Note:- Notification of vacancies to the Employment Exchanges should conform to provisions of Compulsory Notification of Vacancies Act, 1959 and Rules made thereunder.

(vii) The employment notice should prescribe a simple application form to be filled up in Hindi or in the regional language of the area.

(viii) (a) Where literacy is an essential qualification applications from the candidates nominated by Employment Exchanges or registered by Employment Exchanges in terms of clause (b) below only will be eligible for consideration. These may be limited in proportion to the total vacancies available in the recruitment unit concerned. In other cases, where literacy is not required for competence in the job and is not prescribed, applicants applying directly to the Railway Administration should also be considered and registration at an Employment Exchange should not be made obligatory.

(b) For the convenience of serving railway employees applications from their sons/ immediate dependents may be received by the Railway Administration direct. They should be got registered in an Employment Exchange by deputing a Welfare Inspector, if necessary, for this purpose and will thereafter be eligible for consideration along with others. It is not necessary that their names should be nominated by the Employment Exchange concerned. In cases where the Employment Exchanges do not accept applications from such candidates and they require the candidate concerned to appear before them in person for registration of his application such applicants may be considered without their getting registered at the Employment Exchange. At the time of selection no discrimination can be made between a candidate applying direct to the administration and the one nominated by the Employment Exchange and only the most suitable ones will be selected for appointment. Applicants belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes even though they are not sons/ immediate dependants of serving railway employees may also be given the benefit of getting their applications registered at the Employment Exchanges through a Welfare Inspector as indicated above

(ix) The number of applicants to be called for trade test/ interview should be generally 3 to 5 times of the number of vacancies to be filled.

(x) As Group ‘D’ vacancies generally attract local residents, the applications of such candidates received by the administrations should be given full consideration at the time of selection.  

(xi)(a) The selection Board for recruitment of Group ‘D’ posts including screening of Casual labour/ substitutes shall consist at least three members, one of whom should belong to the SC/ST communities and another to minority communities. No member of the Committee shall be directly subordinate to any of the other members. If such a Committee cannot be constituted from amongst the offices of the Zonal Railway or any Division or Workshop, a person of SC/ST and minority communities from an adjacent Railway or another Department; either of the Central Government or State Governments or persons from outside the Railway, like retired Railway or Army Officers or Principals of Educational Institutions or eminent persons belonging to SC/ST and minority communities may be coopted to serve on the Committees. The Railway Officers will be an Assistant Personnel Officer and an officer of the Branch concerned. The application will be screened by a Personnel Officer or any other Officer or a committee of officers nominated for this purpose and not by the selection board. Interviews and/or tests shall be conducted by the Selection Board.  

(b) Nomination of outsiders co-opted as members of the Selection Board should be from a panel of names that may be formed by the Government. Non-Officials whenever co-opted as members of the Interview Board should not be repeated in every Board. They should also be furnished with a detailed brief indicating the reservation for SC/ST according to rules, the procedure to be followed in the Selection and other allied information as may be of help to him in conducting the interviews. The non-official member may be issued a free first class railway return journey pass and also permitted the free use of railway rest house, if available.  

Note:- All inclusive remuneration of Rs.20 per day may be given to an outsider, whether co-opted locally or from outside.    

[Authority:  No.E(NG)III/77/RC-1/90, dated 16.03.1978]

(xii) Panels:- The list of selected candidates will be pasted on important Notice Boards throughout the area of recruitment after each selection. The list will contain as many names as are likely to be needed against the bare anticipated vacancies in the course of six months or one year following the selection, depending on the frequency of recruitment. No allowance should be made for medically unfit candidates etc. The currency of the panels should be normally one year. In exceptional circumstances it can be extended by one year with the personal approval of the Chief Personnel Officer.

[No.E(NG)II/84/RC-2/21, dated 16.11.1984]

(xiii) Casual Labour, Substitutes and Temporary hands:-

(a) Substitutes, casual and temporary workmen will have prior claim over others to permanent recruitment. The percentages of reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should be observed in recruitment to temporary or permanent vacancies.  

(b) Substitutes, casual and temporary workmen who acquire temporary status as a result of having worked on other than projects for more than 120 days and for 360 days on projects or other casual labour with more than 120 days or 360 days service, as the case may be should be considered for regular employment without having to go through Employment Exchanges. Such of the workmen as join service before attaining the age of 28 years may be allowed relaxation of maximum age limit prescribed for Group ‘D’ posts to the extent of their total service, which may be either continuous or broken periods.  

(c) A register should be maintained by all Divisions concerned to indicate the names of casual labour, substitutes and temporary workmen who have rendered 120 days in open line or 360 days in projects either continuous or in broken periods, for the purpose of future employment as casual workmen and also as regular employees, provided they are eligible for regular employment. The names should be recorded strictly in the order of their taking up casual appointment at the initial stage and for the purpose of empanelment for regular Group ‘D’ posts, they should as far as possible, be selected in the order maintained in the aforesaid registers. In showing preference to casual labour over other outsiders due consideration and weightage should be given to the knowledge and experience gained by them. Other conditions being equal, total length of service as casual labour, either continuous or in broken periods, irrespective of whether they have attained the temporary status or not, should be taken into account so as to ensure that casual labour who are senior by virtue of longer service are not left out.  

Note: Absorption of casual labour/ substitutes in regular vacancies will be subject to each casual labour/ substitutes being found eligible and suitable for such absorption. Special instructions issued in this regard from time to time will also apply.

(xiv) Group ‘D’ vacancies in workshops should be filled up in the manner indicated below:-

(i) 50% by selection from outsiders including Apprentices trained under ‘Apprentices Act’;

(ii) 10% by transfer from amongst regular gangmen etc. as per sub-para (xv) below; and

(iii) 40% from amongst volunteers from amongst regular staff of other departments who may like to come to the workshop cadre on bottom seniority.

[Authority: No.E(NG)II/73/CL/41, dated 23.08.1973, and 78 E(SCT)15/18, dated 04.10.1978]

(xiv)  – Vacancies in Level-1 in Workshops/ notified categories in Divisions should be filled in the manner indicated below:-

(i) 90% by recruitment from open market including Apprentices trained under Apprentices Act;

(ii) 10% of vacancies in workshops and in S&T, Electrical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering, Traffic & Commercial Department and Works side of Engineering Department in Divisions by transfer from amongst regular Track Maintainers, Assistant Depot (Stores) of the Stores Department and House Keeping Assistants of various departments with a minimum of 8 years service which will be further subject to following conditions:-

(A)   10% of the proposed vacancies for recruitment in Level-1 (erstwhile Group ‘D’) of workshops and Signal & Telecom, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Traffic & Commercial Department and Works side of Engineering bepartment in the Divisions, will be clubbed to recruit equivalent number of Track Maintainer in addition to the intake of Track Maintainer decided for the Engineering Department. The lateral transfer will be undertaken as & when direct recruitment exercise is completed and stipulation of para (A) above have been adhered to.

(B)   Trackmen in regular employment in Engineering Department should be laterally transferred to those Departments, whose 10% vacancies have been clubbed and utilized for recruitment of Trackmen. Other Departments will be allowed to induct fresh personnel for the residual 90% of vacancies, and also to the extent of deficiency not met through lateral transfer.

(C)   A Track Maintainer in Level-2 possessing the required eligibility conditions, if desirous of moving to other Departments through lateral induction, will be allowed to do so, if he accepts reversion to Level-1.

(D)   Applications for lateral transfer of Track Maintainers, Assistant of the Stores Department and House Keeping Assistants of various departments should be called for and applicants shortlisted on the basis of seniority, based on the length of the service.

(E)   For transfer to other Departments Track Maintainers, Assistant Depot (Stores) and House Keeping Assistant of various Departments should be suitable in all respects i.e.

(a) Be literate;

(b) Possess physical standards prescribed for recruitment to that Department/ Workshop;

(c) Have aptitude for work to which they are to be transferred; and

(d) Must have put in at least 8 years regular service as Track Maintainer or other categories as specified in para D above.

(F)    The suitable candidate would be considered as per their inter-se seniority after Screening of applications invited solely for the purpose of lateral intake.

(iii)   In the event of non-availability of volunteers seeking lateral transfer under 10% quota, vacancies may be transferred to open market.

(iv)   Seniority: Staff who are transferred to other Departments against 10% quota [para 179(xiv)(ii) above] will count half the length of continuous service for seniority in the new cadre in which they are absorbed.

E(NG)I-2020/CFP/2, dated 14.12.2023 (RBE No.137/2023) ACS No.285,

E(NG)I-2020/CFP/2, dated 13.12.2023 (RBE No.138/2023)]

(xv) Recruitment by transfer:-

(A) Gangmen in regular employment may be transferred to the Mechanical Engineering and Transportation (Power) Deptt., Traffic & Commercial Deptt. and to the Works side of Engineering Deptt. Such transfers should not, however, exceed 10% of the annual intake of Gangmen nor 10% of annual intake in the relevant recruitment categories of each of these Departments to which Gangmen are transferred. Khalasis of the Stores Department and Safaiwalas of all Departments may likewise be transferred to the Mechanical Workshops, but will be reckoned against the same 10% annual quota of vacancies in the Workshops as is open for absorption of Gangmen. The Railway servants concerned should be suitable in all respects i.e.:-

(a)   be literate where necessary;

(b)   possess physical standards prescribed for recruitment to that Department/ Workshop;

(c)    have the aptitude for work to which they are to be transferred;

(d)      be at least 45 years of age in the case of Gangmen and 35 years of age in the case of Stores Khalasis and Safaiwalas of all Deptts. 

(B) Regular Gangmen who are transferred to Works Branch/ Workshops/ Traffic and, Commercial Deptt. will count half the length of continuous service for seniority in the new cadre in which they are absorbed. Similarly Stores Khalasis and Safaiwalas of all Departments who are absorbed in the Workshops against the 10% quota will count seniority to the extent of half the length of continuous service.

However, Gangmen above the age of 45 years and Store Khalasis and Safaiwalas upto the age of 33 years who are transferred over and above the quota of 10% will not be eligible to count any portion of their earlier service for the purpose of seniority.

[Authority: Railway Boards letter No.E(NG)56/PM1/27, dated 27.09.1956,

E58-CFP/13, dated 19.02.1959,

E(NG)I/74/CFP/51Pt., dated 10.02.1975,

E(NG)I-97/CFP/10, dated 18.06.1998 (RBE No. 137/1998) (ACS No.48), and

E(NG)1-99/CFP/23, dated 08.04.2002 (RBE No. 42/2002) (ACS No.132)

Para 179 (xv) is to be deleted.

[E(NG)I-2020/CFP/2, dated 14.12.2023 (RBE No.137/2023) ACS No.285,]