Master Circular No.51 : Part-IV : Reservation Rosters For SC/ST In Railway Services

Part-IV : Reservation Rosters For SC/ST In Railway Services

(1)   Reservation Roster is a mechanism for distribution of vacancies proportionately among the UR, SCs and STs so as to ensure that each group is fairly represented as per prescribed reservation percentage in the posts.

(2)  (i)     Three types of Reservation Rosters are prescribed which are as under:-

(a)    40 Point Reservation Roster for recruitment on All India basis, the posts where minimum of scale is Rs.1,400 (RPS) or above and all promotions. The Roster is maintained on the basis of 15 % for SCs and 7.5 % for STs.

Roster points reserved for SCs are 1, 8, 14, 22, 28 and 36 and for STs 4, 17 and 31. Other points are un-reserved but not reserved for generals.

[Authority: No.E(SCT)70 CM/10, 29.4.1970 & No.80-E(SCT)15/4, 07.06.1980]

(b)    40 Point Reservation Roster for direct recruitment other than on All India basis. This Roster maintains a percentage of 16-2/3% for SCs and 7.5% for STs. Point Nos.1, 7, 13, 20, 25, 32 and 37 reserved for SCs and 4, 17 and 29 reserved for STs.

(c)    100 Point Reservation Roster for direct recruitment in Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ posts, the minimum scale of pay of which is less than Rs.1400 (RPS), and the recruitment is made on regional basis. The Roster is based on the percentage of population covered by the region (zone in the case of Railways) in which the recruitment is made and vary from region to region on that basis. The percentage has been revised w.e.f. 01.06.1988.

[Authority: No.85-E(SCT)I/39/2 dated 31.05.1988]

(ii)    There are certain posts which are partially filled up by recruitment and partially by promotion like the posts of Clerk in Gr. Rs.950-1500 (RPS). In such categories, 100 Point Roster as well as 40 Point Roster is to be used as under:-

(a)    100 Point Reservation Roster for the posts filled by direct recruitment and

(b)    40 Point Reservation Roster for posts filled by promotion from Group ‘D’ to Group ‘C’.

(iii)   In case classification of posts is changed from Selection Posts to Non-Selection Posts or Non-Selection Posts to Selection Posts, same Roster should continue.

(iv)   When two different grades are merged into one single grade, then Roster for lower grade is to be discontinued and old Roster of higher grade is to be continued by taking shortfall of lower grade into Roster for higher grade.

[Authority: No.83-E(SCT)1/41/4, 23.08.1988]

(v)  When any Headquarters controlled post is decentralized as Divisional Controlled Post, then on Divisions, fresh Roster is to be operated by taking shortfall into new-Roster which is allotted by Headquarters Office, if any. Such shortfall is distributed to Divisions as per the strength on Divisions.

(vi)   In promotion, one 40 Point Reservation Roster is maintained for ad-hoc promotions for 45 days or more against leave vacancy.

[Authority: No.80-E(SCT)15/4, 07.06.1980]

(vii) One combined Roster is maintained for ad-hoc Promotion Pending Selection / Test as well as for Regular Promotion after Selection / Test by showing points in Roster as 1-A. 2-A, 3-A, 4-A. ‘A’ means Ad-hoc Promotion, so in all such ad-hoc promotions, names 1, 2, 3, 4 are to be shown of ‘A’ and on regular promotions, names will be shown against regular points.

[Authority: No.83-E(SCT)23/1, 19.09.1983]

(viii) Appointments on compassionate ground are shown in Roster for recruitment.

[Authority: No.82-E(SCT)41/13, 21.05.1982]

(ix)   After the orders passed by CAT, Hyderabad, it was decided that the SC/ST’s reserved quota is to be determined as per 15% for SCs and 7.5% for STs on the basis of strength in each post of category, and deficiency of SC/ST is to be filled up as per Roster Points by taking carry forward into account, if there is deficiency of SC/ST candidates as per 15% and 7.5% reservation on strength. In case permissible quota is already full by SC/ST candidates, no further reservation in that particular post is to be made, but Roster will continue and names of promotees viz., General/SC/ST as per their turn on seniority list will be shown. This was made effective w.e.f. 16.06.1992 on all Selection and Non-Selection Posts in Group ‘D’, ‘C’ and ‘B’ on selection / tests initiated on or after 16.06.1992.

[Authority: RBE No.97/92, No.89-E(SCT)I/49/5/Pt, 16.06.1992 & 31.07.1992]

It was also decided that while calculating permissible quota for SC/STs as per 15% for SCs and 7.5% for STs on strength, fraction of 0.5 and above should be rounded off to one and less than 0.5 be ignored.

[Authority: RBE No.97/1992, No.89-E(SCT)I/49/5/Pt, 16.06.1992]

It has also been clarified that unless there is some interim orders of a Court/CAT, the promotion of SC/ST candidates by virtue of their seniority cannot be withheld even in cases where 15% for SCs and 7.5% for STs has been achieved. The seniority will continue to be determined as per the date of entry into the grade irrespective of the fact whether a SC/ST candidate was promoted on reservation or otherwise.

[Authority: No.92-E(SCT)I/25/16, 25.11.1992]

(3)   The Reservation Rosters are intended to be an aid in determining and pin-pointing the vacancies reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to fill up deficiency in permissible quota, and are not meant to be used for determining the seniority or order of appointment.

(4)   Liaison Officers nominated for each Ministry (CPOs/SPO-RPs in Railways and APOs on Divisions) will conduct annual inspections of Rosters.

(5)   A record of inspections should be maintained and Inspection Report should be properly followed and errors and omissions be rectified.

(6)   The staff maintaining the cadre position and handling recruitment/promotion should be properly trained in maintenance of Roster Registers.

(7)   Detailed Instructions for the Maintenance of the Reservation Roster:

(1)    A separate roster should be maintained in the form given in Annexure ‘A’ for each type of appointment and within it for each grade or service or a group of posts formed for the purpose of these orders.

(2)    Within each category of posts a separate roster may be maintained for (a) permanent appointments and temporary appointments likely to become permanent or to continue indefinitely and (b) purely temporary appointments.

(3)    On the top of roster, total strength of posts in that category and grade should be written with permissible quota of 15% for SCs and 71/2% for STs indicating SC/ST employees already available in the category and grade.

(i)     Total strength

(ii)    No. of SCs/STs available

(iii)   Category

(iv)   Grade

(v)    Selection/Non-selection

(vi)   Safety/Non-Safety

(4)    Rosters have to be maintained separately for (a) initial appointments on temporary basis and (b) Permanent appointments i.e. at the time of confirmation.

(5)    Immediately after an appointment has been made, the particulars of the person appointed will be entered in the appropriate columns and the entry signed by the appointing authority or the officer authorized to do so.

(6)    No gap should be left in completing the roster, for example, if a reserved vacancy, as say, point 25, has to be treated for want of a suitable SC/ST candidate, as unreserved, the candidate actually appointed will be shown against that point itself, SC/ST candidates recruited/promoted later in the year against an unreserved point shall be shown against each point.

(7)    The roster will be maintained in the form of a running account year by year, for example, if appointments in a year stop at point No. 6 of a scroll, recruitment / promotion in the following year will begin at point 7 roster should not be maintained in loose sheets.

(8)    Vacancies caused due to termination of service during probation or trial or voluntarily leaving service during probation should not be treated as fresh vacancy.

(9)    In case of single vacancy or exchange, necessary remarks should be given in the remarks column.

(10)  Whenever a reserved post has been filled by unreserved candidate after de-reservation, authority sanctioning the de-reservation with sanction letter No. and date should invariably be indicated.

(11)  A summary should be made after the close of each recruitment year indicating the total of carried-forward reserve vacancies in col. 1 and 2 of the roster.

(12)  Each column of roster must be filled in completely and after the completion of the entries, it should get signed by the concerned officer with date.

[Chapter-V and Appendices II & III of Brochure on reservation for SCs/STs – 3rd Edition]