IREM Rule No.189: PROMOTION TO HIGHER GRADES IN GROUP ‘C’ – IREM Vol-I, Chapter-I, Section-B, Sub-section-IV: Recruitment of Group ‘D’ Railway Servants

(II)     PROMOTION TO HIGHER GRADES IN GROUP ‘D’ AND GROUP ‘C’ POSTS

189.    Promotion to higher grades in Group ‘C’:-

Railway servants in Group ‘D’ categories for whom no regular avenue of promotion exists 33-1/3% of the posts in the lowest grade of Commercial Clerks, Ticket Collectors, Trains Clerks, Office Clerks, Stores Clerks, etc. should be earmarked for promotion. The quota for promotion of Group ‘D’ staff in the Accounts Deptts. to Group ‘C’ post of Accounts Clerks will be 25%. Promotion to Group ‘C’ will be subject to the following conditions:-

(i) All promotions should be made on the basis of selection. There should be written tests to assess the educational attainments of candidates. Group ‘C’ categories referred to above should be suitably linked with specified categories in the lower grades on broad affinity of work to form groups for promotion but it should be ensured that the prospects are made equal in the different groups. The test should be correlated to the standards of proficiency that can reasonably be expected from railway servants who are generally non-matriculates. The aim of the examiners should be to assess the general suitability of the Group ‘D’ railway servants offering themselves for promotion to Group ‘C’ posts from the point of view of their knowledge of English and their general standard of intelligence. The factors of selection and their relative weight will be as indicated below:-

Notes:- 

(1)Written test should consist of one paper of 3 hours duration divided into two parts – Part ‘A’ to test the working knowledge of the Railway servant of the English language and Part ‘B’ his general standard of intelligence and proficiency through questions in Arithmetic, General Knowledge mainly pertaining to Railway matters and matters immediately pertaining to the work he has been acquainted with during his Railway service. In drawing up the questions it must be ensured that they are not set as such a standard as to make it impracticable for a Group ‘D’ railway servant of average intelligence and normal standards of efficiency to qualify in the test.

(2)  Assessment under the heading Record of Service will be based on entries in the Service Book/ personal file regarding academic/ technical qualifications, awards/ punishments, etc.

(3) Selections should not be restricted to three times the number of posts to be filled but kept open to all eligible candidates who would like to be considered for such selections.

(4)  All those who qualify on the basis of written test and Record of Service, the  qualifying percentage of marks being prescribed by the General Manager, should be included in the panel in the order of their seniority for promotion against the yearly vacancies available  for them in Group ‘C’ categories.

(i)(a) The posts of Commercial-cum-Ticket Clerk (Pay Level-3 of the 7^th CPC Pay Matrix) under the 33-1/3% quota shall be filled by the process of General Selection based on merit (not seniority).

[Authority: Railway Board’s letter No.E(NG)I-2018/CFP/5, dated 20.12.2023 (RBE No.146/2023) (ACS No.286)]

(ii) All Railway servants in Level-1, to be eligible for promotion to Level-2 posts in all Departments should have put in a minimum of 2 years regular service and have successfully completed their probation period in the recruitment grade.

However, in cases where incumbency of more than 3 years is prescribed, the same shall continue.

[Authority: Railway Board’s No.E(NG)I/2015/PM1/20, dated 08.01.2019 (RBE No. 03/2019) (ACS No.260), and

E(NG)I/2015/PM1/20, dated 05.02.2019 (RBE No. 20/2019) (ACS No.261)]

(iii) For promotions to Group ‘C’ posts in the Ministerial cadre, Group ‘D’ staff will be required to possess a typing speed of 30 w.p.m. in English or 25 w.p.m. in Hindi. Promotions may, however, be allowed on provisional basis and the concerned staff given two year’s time from the date of promotion, to qualify the prescribed typewriting test; and if they fail to qualify the typewriting test within the said period, they will be liable to be reverted.

[Authority: Railway Board’s letter No.E(NG)I/93/CFP/41, dated 07.04.1994 (RBE No.28/1994),

28.11.1996 (RBE No.116/1996),

E(NG)I-96/CFP/19, dated 16.12.1996 (RBE No.126/1996)

E(NG)I-96/CFP/19, dated 03.02.1997 (RBE No. 23/1997),

11.12.1997 (RBE No.176/1997) (ACS No.31),

E(NG)I-96/CFP/19, dated 07.04.2000 (RBE No. 66/2000)]

(iv) Training:-

(a) The standard of training imparted to the Group ‘D’ railway servants selected for Group ‘C’ posts should be the same as for direct recruits for the same Group ‘C’ categories and in the case of failures in the first attempt such employees may be given second – chance to qualify.

(b) Group ‘D’ railway servants when promoted to Group ‘C’ posts in the Accounts Deptt. shall go through the same training and test and shall be subject to the same conditions of service as are in force for the new recruits. During the period of their training they would get as stipend the pay that they would have normally drawn on promotion to Group ‘C’. All allowances like Dearness, Compensatory and House Rent Allowances will be allowed to them at the scales applicable, had the stipend been treated as pay.

Note: Employees in lower Group ‘C’ scale of Rs.825-1200 (RPS)/ 2750-4400 (RSRP) and Rs.950-1400(RPS)/ 3050-4590 (RSRP) for whom no regular avenue of promotion exists will also be eligible to appear in the selection held for promotion of Group ‘D’ employees to Group ‘C’ against the prescribed quota.

[Authority: Railway Board’s letter No.E(NG)I/91/CFP/26, dated 30.04.1992 (RBE No. 69/1992),

10.03.1993 (RBE No.43/1993) (ACS No.8),

E(Ng)I/93/CFP/41, dated 07.04.1994 (RBE No.28/1994),

28.11.1996 (RBE No.116/1996),

E(NG)I/96/CFP/19, dated 03.02.1997 (RBE No.23/1997),

11.12.1997 (RBE No.176/1997) (ACS No.31),

E(NG)I/2003/CFP/2 dated 22.09.2003 (RBE No.165/2003) (ACS No.155)]