Indian Railway Personnel Service

Last updated
Indian Railway Personnel Service
Irps logo new.png
Service Overview
AbbreviationIRPS
Formed1980
Headquarters Rail Bhavan
New Delhi
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
Training Academy National Academy of Indian Railways (Vadodara)
Controlling Authority Ministry of Railways, Government of India
Cadre Size418
Service Chief
Director General (Human Resource), Railway BoardR Rajagopal IRMS
Head of the Civil Services
Cabinet Secretary T. V. Somanathan, IAS

The Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) is a Prestigious Group 'A' Central Civil Service cadre of the Government of India. The central civil servants of this service are responsible for managing the Human Resources of the Indian Railways and welfare of railway employees and their families. Railways has a work force of about 1.4 million employees. It is the only civil service of its kind in India and it creates a cadre of central civil servants specialized in human resource management in government of India. The total sanctioned strength of the service is '478' after cadre restructuring orders on 09.03.2019.

Contents

Recruitment

50% vacancies in the initial recruitment grade of the Indian Railways Personnel Service (IRPS) Railway office are filled up through the UPSC Civil Service Examination held every year while remaining vacancies are filled up by promotion of Group 'B' officers of feeder cadres through selection made by UPSC.The first direct recruitment to the cadre was done by UPSC in the year 1980. Prior to that some officers of sister cadres like Railway Board Secretariat Service had joined the service on option basis. After selection, the IRPS probationers undergo general foundation training at one of the training academies, that is, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration at Bhopal and Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute of Telangana at Hyderabad. Following this they go for the Railway Foundation Course at National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.

Role and function

IRPS officers mean the Establishment Directorate and the Personnel department of the Ministry of Railways, at Zonal railway and divisional levels including the railway production units and workshops. While other services in the railway are concerned with the operational or material management of the train, the Personnel Service handles the human resource aspect.

The main functions and responsibility of IRPS Officers in the railway is

1. To recruit staff through RRB/RRC

2. Training of staff

3. Promotion, demotion, transfers etc.

4. Disciplinary actions

5. Retirement, settlement

5. Conducting departmental promotions

6. Managing good industrial relations with trade unions and to see welfare of close to 1.4 million railway employees and their families .

7.Dealing with provisions of various laws and acts such as Industrial dispute Act, Factory Act, Workman Compensation Act, Payment of Wages, Minimum Wages and their implementation. The interpretation of rules and orders is also their responsibility.

8.All matters concerning the welfare of the staff such as: 1. Quarters and colony management 2. canteen/s management 3. Holiday homes 4. consumer societies 5. School/s management 6. clubs 7. Institutes 8. Hospitals etc.

9. To Promote cultural activities, sports, scouts and guides etc. They are commissioners of scouts and guides in respective jurisdictions.

Railway is one of the model employers with a large number of welfare measures being implemented to look after the staff and their families. IRPS officer is also the welfare officer in the railways.

At the apex level of the Ministry of Railways, Member Staff is the highest level post, who is ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.Currently he is assisted by Director General (Personnel) and two Additional members, Additional Member (Staff) and Additional Member (Industrial Relations), who are in the rank of Additional Secretary to Government of India.Below them are a group of Principal Executive Directors, Directors, Joint Directors and Deputy Directors who work at Railway Board level who are either drawn from the service or from the Railway Board Secretariat Service.

Similarly at the 16 Zonal Railway level the Personnel Department is headed by a Principal Chief Personnel Officer (PCPO). PCPOs are also posted in the major production units/factories of Indian Railways. The role of Personnel Department as it is called all over encompasses all those which are in any Human Resources Management department of any organisation including those of dealing with Labour Relations and Labour Legislations.

7th PC LevelGradeDesignation in DivisionDesignation in ZoneDesignation in Railway Board
17ApexNo equivalent post in DivisionThere is no equivalent post in ZoneChairman Railway Board/Member staff
16HAG+General managerAdditional Member Staff
15HAGPrincipal Chief Personnel OfficerPrincipal executive director
14SAGDivisional Railway Manager/Additional Divisional Railway ManagerChief Personnel Officer (Admin/IR)Executive director/Chairperson in RRBs
13NFSGSenior Divisional Personnel Officer (Sr.DPO)Deputy Chief Personnel OfficerDirector
12JAGSenior Divisional Personnel Officer (Sr.DPO)Deputy Chief Personnel OfficerJoint Director
11Sr ScaleDivisional Personnel Officer (DPO)/Workshop Personnel Officer (WPO)Senior Personnel OfficerJTS and STS officers generally are not posted in Railway Board.
10Jr ScaleAssistant Personnel Officer (APO)Assistant Personnel Officer

See also

Related Research Articles

The All India Services (AIS) comprises three Civil Services of India common to the centre and state governments, which includes the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS), and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). Civil servants recruited through All India Services by the central government are assigned to different state government cadres. Some civil servants may, later in their career, also serve the centre on deputation. Officers of these three services comply to the All India Services Rules relating to pay, conduct, leave, various allowances etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Public Service Commission</span> Indias central recruiting agency

The Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body tasked with recruiting officers for All India Services and the Central Civil Services through various standardised examinations, widely considered to be one of the most selective examinations in the world. In 2023, 1.3 million applicants competed for just 1,255 positions. In 1947, Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel heralded successful recruits as the 'steel frame of India.' In other words, those who implemented the vision of the government of the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Foreign Service</span> Diplomatic service of the Government of India

The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vikram Misri is the 35th and the current Foreign Secretary.

Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) is a group 'A' central civil service under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the supreme audit institution of India. Its central civil servants serve in an audit managerial capacity in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA&AD), and are responsible for auditing the accounts of the Union government and state governments, as well as their public commercial enterprises and non-commercial autonomous bodies. The service's role is analogous to the US Government Accountability Office and the UK National Audit Office.

The Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering, abbreviated as IRSME, is one of the group 'A' central engineering services of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Mechanical Engineering Division of the Indian Railways. Till 2019, IRSME officers were drawn from the Combined Engineering Service Examination (ESE) and Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission. All appointments to the Group 'A' services are made by the president of India.

The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara formerly Railway Staff College and historically the Pratap Vilas Palace, is a Centralised civil service, engineering and medical training institute for Civil Service, Engineering and Medical Officers of Indian Railway Personnel Service, Indian Railway Stores Service and Indian Railway Medical Services cadre headed by a Director General and staffed by a faculty of experienced Railway Managers and Experts. Starting with the initial training of Officers Trainees inducted as Central Civil Services, Engineering and Medical professionals that form the backbone of Indian Railways, the Academy also conducts, mid-service mandatory or theme based in service Management Courses for all Officers of IR and courses for Officers of other Group A Central Services, Public Sector and Foreign Railways. The Academy is housed in the sprawling 55 acres campus of the Pratap Vilas Palace at Lalbaug, Vadodara.

The Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) is a prestigious group A central engineering services of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Electrical Engineering organisation of the Indian Railways.

The Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE) is a central engineering services group A cadre of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Signal and Telecommunications Engineering Organization of the Indian Railways.

The Indian Railways Service of Engineers (IRSE) is one of the oldest group 'A' central engineering services recruited through the engineering services examination of the Union Public Service Commission. The officers of this service are responsible for administering the Civil Engineering organisation of the Indian Railways

The Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS) is one of the Group A central engineering services of the Government of India. The officers of this service are procurement and logistics specialists, contract managers on the Indian Railways, providers of logistics for the transportation of material from and within various railways as well as the planners and maintainers of the intelligent warehousing with automated storage and retrieval systems on the Indian Railways. The IRSS officers undergo training at National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) for a period of 18 months which includes two months certification course at IIM Khozikhode and a foreign training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Railway Traffic Service</span> Central Civil Service India

The Indian Railway Traffic Service, abbreviated as IRTS is a Prestigious Group 'A' Central Civil Service Cadre of the Government of India. IRTS in its present form was reconstituted in 1967. The IRTS Cadre functions under the Administrative Control of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The civil servants under this service are responsible for Operation and Business Development of Indian Railways in the country. On one hand, IRTS officers co-ordinate among various technical departments of the Indian Railways, while on the other hand, they form the public interface of the Indian Railways. Colloquially called Traffic Officers, they are the primary facilitators of Railway services right from Planning of freight movement, Passenger transport, Passenger amenities to Station Management and Infrastructure Planning.

The Indian Railway Accounts Service is one of the Group A Central Civil Service of the Government of India. The civil servants under this Service are responsible for the Accounts and Finance Management of the Indian Railways. About 25–30 IRAS officers are recruited every year through Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission. Currently, the IRAS Cadre has a strength of about 800 officers.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is a ministry of the Government of India in personnel matters specially issues concerning recruitment, training, career development, staff welfare as well as the post-retirement dispensation.

The Central Public Works Department is a department under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of India and is in charge of public sector works. It serves as the builder, developer and manager of Central government properties. With time, its area of operations has also expanded to roadways and Bridge engineering.

Central Secretariat Service is the administrative civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India. They are governed by Central Secretariat Service Rules of 1962, which has been issued under the powers of Article 309 of the Constitution of India. The service members work under restrictions and rules of Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules.

In India, the Civil Service is the collection of civil servants of the government who constitute the permanent executive branch of the country. This includes servants in the All India Services, the Central Civil Services, and various State Civil Services.

The Central Civil Services (CCS) encompass the various Civil Services of India that are exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Government of India. This is in contrast to the All India Services, which are common to both the central and state governments, or the state civil services, which fall under the purview of individual states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Defence Estates Service</span> Civil Service in the Government of India

The Indian Defence Estates Service is a Civil Service in the Government of India. Its Cadre Controlling Authority (CCA) is the Ministry of Defence. Civil Services Examination conducted every year by Union Public Service Commission provides a gateway for entry into this service. The Service traces its origin to 16 December 1926 and has been constantly evolving since then. The service was initially known as the Military Lands and Cantonment Service (1926-1983), and then Defence Lands and Cantonment Service (1983-1985). In 1985, it was renamed as the Indian Defence Estates Service. The service is governed by the Indian Defence Estates Service Rules, 2013, where 75% intake is by direct recruitment and 25% by promotion.

The Indian Statistical Service is a civil service under Group A of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India. ISS is a civil service with high degree of proficiency in Statistical methods and applications. With the main mandate of producing quality Official Statistics with better methods and techniques, provide solutions to the data and information needs and interpretation and analysis of statistics, a majority portion of the probationary training programme is to be devoted to acquiring of technical knowledge in the field of official statistics, economics, financial statistics, survey methodology and social etc. The posts are recruited through UPSC examination. The minimum eligibility criterion is Bachelor's degree with Statistics or Mathematical Statistics or Applied Statistics as one of the subject.

The Railway Board Secretariat Service (RBSS) is a central civil service with induction at Group 'B' stage in the Secretariat of the Ministry of Railways of the Union Government of India.

References