After protests, Railways makes changes in recruitment process

It said the Railways would shortlist unique candidates 20 times the number of vacancies in the non-technical popular categories (NTPC). This would take the total number of shortlisted candidates to around 7 lakh from the current 3.84 lakh. Earlier, graduates were also shortlisted for jobs that needed Class 12 as minimum qualification along with being marked for jobs that required at least graduation as the criterion. This had led to widespread protests among those with lower academic qualifications. They said those with higher qualification were eating into their chance of landing a Railways job.

Additionally, the Railways also reversed its earlier notification and decided that recruitment of Level-1 or Group-D employees would happen through only one computer-based exam instead of a two-stage examination process.

The recruitment drive for 35,281 vacant posts in various categories ranging from junior clerk, train assistant, guard, time-keeper to station master was at the centre of widespread protests in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand earlier this month.

The aspirants alleged that while over seven lakh “applications” were shortlisted, the actual number of candidates was around 3.84 lakh, as the same person might have been shortlisted for more than one post.

The Railways also said the candidates already announced qualified would continue to remain qualified and the list of the additional candidates getting shortlisted would be notified at each pay level.

It said the revised results of all pay levels would be declared by the first week of April, the second-stage CBT for pay level 6 would be held in May and the second-stage CBT for the other pay levels would be conducted after a reasonable gap.

In January, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had suspended the recruitment drive as protests and violence spread to various parts of North India, notably poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. A committee of officials was formed to review the whole process in consultation with protesting students to give them a patient hearing. The committee had received over three lakh suggestions and representations.

After the announcement, several online tutorial channels welcomed the move.

“It has been decided to follow revised methodology with special conditions for conduct of CBT for Level-1 due to elimination of 2nd stage CBT etc. “This will involve mobilising of additional infrastructure and logistics to conduct CBT for Level-1 with significant increase in per shift requirement. Efforts will be made to have the exam conducting agency on board to conduct the CBT for Level-1 as early as possible. Hence, CBT for Level-1 is planned to be held tentatively from July 2022 onwards,” the Railway Board said.