10-year field service mandatory before HQ posting: Railway Board
In a major policy change, young officers of Indian Railways will only be eligible to be posted at the headquarters after they have served ten years of service, the Railway Board has said.
Published: 09th March 2023 08:19 AM | Last Updated: 09th March 2023 08:19 AM | A+A A-
For representational purposes
NEW DELHI: In a major policy change, young officers of Indian Railways will only be eligible to be posted at the headquarters after they have served ten years of service, the Railway Board has said.
“In order to ensure adequate exposure of field working to Direct Recruit Group A Railway officers, it has been decided that for the initial ten years of their service, these officers shall be posted in the field and shall not be posted in the headquarters,” the Railway Board’s order read.
The decision was taken after a slew of consultations and a thorough study of the pros and cons of such a move. Now, even newly recruited officers are allowed to get postings at the headquarters. “This will not be allowed in the Indian Railways henceforth,” a senior railway official said. He added that the decision would ensure that officers have ample experience at the field level.
“The level of practical experience that one gain when working in the field cannot be dismissed. It will be an added advantage,” the official added. TNIE has also learnt that one reason for the move is to train young officers to be ‘ready and quick’ to make decisions on the fly, as is often the case when working on the field.
“It will not only sharpen the decision-making skills of young officers but also make them well acquainted with the ground realities of their respective departments. They will also develop a ready-to-go professional attitude to visit the fields in times of need instead of relying on information shared by their subordinates,” a railway official said.
But the move is not without its exceptions. The order also states, “In exceptional and compelling cases, an officer may be posted in the headquarters. It should be done by recording the reason with the personal approval of the GM.”
Group-A officers
- Indian Railways has 68 divisions under 17 zones, covering almost all parts on the national rail map
- Group-A officers are entrusted with running the entire machinery—from train journey to policy formulation, to technical to revenue fronts
- The UPSC directly recruits these officers.
