Indian Railways is in for a major revamp in choosing the top officials to man the Railway Board like the chairman or chief executive officer and general managers of various railway zones across the country with the formation of single management cadre of Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).
Top cadre induction is for the seven-member Railway Board (RB) or the apex level and a Higher Administration Grade (HAG) plus level for the next 29 officials to man zonal railways, coach manufacturing units and other wings, has been notified by the Railway Board recently.
The RB note stated that the apex level cadre are the Chairman/CEO, Members – Infrastructure, Traction & Rolling Stock, Finance, Operations & Business Development (four), one Director General (Human Resources) and one Director General (Safety).
Next HAG IRMS posts are for 17 GM posts in zonal railways, GMs of Integral Coach Factory (Chennai), Banaras Locomotive Works (Varanasi), Rail Wheels Factory (Bengaluru), Modern Coach Factory (Rae Bareli), General Manager (Construction), Northeast Frontier Railway (Guwahati), DG, Research, Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), RB secretary and others or 29 in all.
These top officials are to be selected from among current senior officials batchwise belonging to the eight ‘Group A’ railway services of IRES, IRTS, IRPS, IRAS, and so on, now to be subsumed into one service with no fixed posts for each of wings in the new management structure.
Apex level-empanelled officers are eligible for appointment on application to any of the top posts, including the Chairman/CEO, Members and other posts listed. Similarly, other 29 empanelled officers in HAG plus cadre are eligible for appointments for GM posts listed on applying. But, mere empanelment does not guarantee any post, it said.
Those applying should specify any top three positions they wish to be selected, give description of their top five contributions and describe top five contributions that the officer can make make in the positions being aspiring for.
A promotion committee comprising of secretary DOP&T, chairman & RB CEO, and one non-railway officer (like secretary DPIIT, or secretary MORTH, or CEO NITI Aayog, etc.) to be nominated by Minister of Railways will make an overall assessment of the officer.
An ‘Experts Panel’ consisting of former high ranking government officials like ex-secretaries, chairman or members of the Railway Board (RB), GMs, will be formed to deal with any official aggrieved over non-selection.
Officers seeking the top railway jobs will have their confidential personal reports not only vetted thoroughly, but a multi-source feedback telephonically from peers, juniors and seniors on personal integrity, decision making, team work, stress management, etc., will be taken along with ‘psychometric measurement of Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ)’ on the fitness for these posts, the note explained.
The Railways Ministry will then recommend the selected officials to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for approval. Posting too will be done based on vacancies and suitability of empanelled officers. Empanelled officers will then be posted as and when vacancies arise, the RB said.
