Grant of Individual or Group Cash Award to Railway Employees

Grant of Individual or Group Cash Award to Railway Employees

Government of India
Ministry of Railways
(Railway Board)

Office Order No. 17 of 2019

Sub: Grant of Individual/Group Cash Award

The issue of revising guidelines for grant of individual awards and group cash award to officers/staff working in Board's Office in terms of Office Order No. 44 of 2000, 31 of 2004, 61 of 2005 and 83 of 2018 was under consideration and following has been decided:-

a) The upper limit for individual award/individual limit in group award to Officers/staff recommended/sanctioned by AMs, PEDs and Secretary/RB has been revised as under:-

1. Upto Rs 4000/- for Group 'C' staff;
2. Upto Rs 5000/- for Group 'B' staff and
3. Upto Rs 6000/- for Group 'A' staff.

Further modalities on restricting the staff percentage for grant of awards to 10% and ceiling the Annual Gross Limit of sanctioning award by AMs, PEDs and Secretary/RB is under process and would be issued in due course.

b) The above limit for grant of individual award/ individual limit in group award would be applicable to DGs, Board Members and CRB also, however. in specific cases they may sanction award upto Rs 10,000/- per individual staff for meritorious service.

c) While recommending the names for Group Awards, the specific amount to be given to an individual should invariably be indicated. In the case of Group award announced on the spot by CRB or Board Mem ber or DG, a list containing the name of each awardee along with the amount of the award to be given to him/her should be submitted to the concerned Branch of Secretary's Directorate with the approval of the competent authority (not below the level of concerned ED/JS) for issue of sanction of award.

d) In case of awards by CRB/Members/DGs, there would be no restriction of time gap. For others, the gap would be minimum of 3(three) years.

e) In case of awards recommended by Board Members/DGs/AMs/PEDs etc no merit certificate would be issued, however, if any recommending/ sanctioning officer desires to issue an appreciation letter, the same would be prepared in the DO letter head of the award sanctioning authority under his own signature, a copy of which would be endorsed to Railway Board (Welfare) branch of Secretary Directorate for maintenance of records.

f) For grant of individual/group cash award or issuing appreciation letter, no D&AR or Vigilance Clearance or scrutiny of APARs would be required.

The above instructions/guidelines would not be applicable to Railway Week National Award, CRB Award, Awards granted by Minister of Railways/Minister of State of Railways and other prestigious awards.

This issues with the approval of the competent authority.

(This supersedes Office Orders No. 40 of 2000, 31 of 2004, 61 of 2005 and 83 of 2018)

No. 2018/O&M/12/1
Dated: 26.02.2019

Sd/-
(H. Moharana)
Joint Secretary/Railway Board

All Officers and Branches in Board's office, at Pragati Maidan Metro Station Building and Daya Basti, New Delhi.

Source: Indian Railways

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Strengthening of IT Cadre of Indian Railway

Strengthening of IT Cadre of Indian Railway

RBA 116/2018
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAY
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No 2017/AC-II/37/9,

Rail Bhavan, New Delhi-110001  31/10/18

Principal Financial Adviser,
(All Zonal Railways &Production Units)
Sub:- Strengthening of IT Cadre of Indian Railway.

Please connect Board's letter no. 2016/AC-II(CC)/37/9 dated 18/4/17 & 29/12/17 wherein instructions regarding restructuring of Group C categories of Senior Engineer(IT) and Junior Engineer (IT) in the percentage of 67:33 respectively have been circulated to Railways & Production Units. As stipulated in the letter ibid the restructuring is to be implemented with reference to the cadre strength in operation as on 1/4/2017 and the posts of Senior Engineer (IT) and Junior Engineer (IT) not in Operation as on 1/4/17 are to be treated as deemed to have been surrendered.

The matter has been examined further and it is requested to maintain expenditure neutrality while dealing with the proposal relating to strengthening IT cadre and restructuring of the IT Cadre on the Railway.

(G. Kabui)
Director Finance/CCA
Railway Board

Source: www.indianrailways.gov.in

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Provisions in respect of the Contract Workers on Indian Railway

Provisions in respect of the Contract Workers on Indian Railway

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. E(LL)/2015/PNM/AIRF/1 New Delhi,
Dated 17.11.2017

The General Manager (P),
All Indian Railways & PUs.

Sub: Provisions in respect of the Contract Workers on IR.
Ref: Board's letter of even number dated 20.10.2015

Payment of minimum wages to workers employed on Railways under the various provisions of the Contract Labour (R&A) Act, 1970 has become a pivotal issue in the present economic scenario. A meeting in this regard was held by Chief Labour Commissioner (Centre) on 15.11.2017 wherein the following issues, inter alia, were discussed:

(i) Whether new rates of minimum wages w.e.f. 01.04.2017 are being paid to the contract workers;
(ii) Mode of payment to contract workers through bank/cheque/cash;
(iii) Whether provident fund is deducted from the payment made to the contract workers and the same is credited to that PF account;
(iv) Whether medical facilities from ESI are made available to contract workers;
(v) Issue of slips towards payment made to contract worker to bring out transparency in the system.

2. Since the factual report is to be submitted to Ministry of Labour & Employment within 15 days, the Railways are requested to provide the information at the earliest at Fax No. 011 - 23070939.

(M.S. Manju)
Joint Director/E(LL)
Railway Board

Source: Indian Railways

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Relaxation of residency period for promotion of Jr. Accounts Asstt (GP 2800/-) as Accounts Asstt (GP 4200/-) on Indian Railways

Relaxation of residency period for promotion of Jr. Accounts Asstt (GP 2800/-) as Accounts Asstt (GP 4200/-) on Indian Railways

No. II/6/Part 8

Dated: 23/08/2017

The Secretary (E),
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Relaxation of residency period for promotion of Jr. Accounts Asstt (GP 2800/-) as Accounts Asstt (GP 4200/-) on Indian Railways-reg.

NFIR invites kind attention of the Railway Board to the provisions made in the Indian Railway Establishment Manual Vol. I (2009 Edition) - Para 171 (5) wherein it has been stipulated that the posts of Accounts Assistants in GP 4200/PB-2 will be filled by promotion of Jr. Accounts Assistants in GP 2800/- on completion of three years service in the Grade and on passing Appendix-ll Examination. The said para of the IREM is reproduced below:-

"The posts in the grade of Accounts Assistants in Scale Rs. 1400-2600 will be filled by promotion of Junior Accounts Assistants in Scale Rs. 1200-2040 after they have completed three years service in the grade and passed Appendix II examination. Provided that the condition of passing the Appendix II Examination will not be applicable to those Jr. Accounts Assistants, who were promoted as such against un-qualified senior suitable quota as per clause 3 (ii) above".

2. Further the Federation brings to the notice of Railway Board that vide provision contained in Para 215 (a) of IREM (Rules governing the promotion of Group ‘C’ Staff) - Section B/Chapter I, it has been laid down that for promotion within Group ‘C’, a minimum of 2 years service in the immediate lower Grade is necessary.

In view of the above, Federation proposes that the minimum residency period of three years for promotion of J AA to Accounts Assistants with the condition of passing Appendix 11 IREM Examination be reduced to two years for ensuring equitable justice to staff.

NFIR, therefore, requests the Railway Board to kindly consider the above points and amend the extant provision of 3 years residency period to two years as is in vogue in other than Accounts Department/which would enable appendix qualified staff to get promotion to the post of Accounts Assistant.

Federation may please be replied of action being taken on the above proposal.

Yours faithfully,
sd/-
(Dr. M. Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

Source: NFIR

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Introduction of Special Leave connected to inquiry of Sexual Harassment

Introduction of Special Leave connected to inquiry of Sexual Harassment

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

RBE No.51/2017

E(P&A)I-2017/CPC/LE-3

New Delhi, dated 29.05.2017

The General Managers and FA&CAOs
All Indian Railways & Production Units.

Sub: Introduction of Special Leave connected to inquiry of Sexual Harassment.
Consequent upon the decision taken by the Government, the President is pleased to decide that the following rule may be inserted in the Railway Service (Liberalised Leave) Rules, 1949 in respect of female railway employees:-

Special Leave connected to inquiry of sexual harassment – Leave upto a period of 90 days may be granted to an aggrieved female Railway Servant on the recommendation of the Internal Committee or the Local Committee, as the case may be, during the pendency of inquiry under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and the leave granted to the aggrieved female Railway Servant under this rule shall not be debited against the leave account.

2. This rule takes effect from the date, the notification was published by the Department of Personnel and Training viz. 15th March, 2017.

3. The provisions of the Railway Service (Liberalised Leave) Rules, 1949 are contained in Chapter-5 of Indian Railway Establishment Code (IREC), Volume-I, 1985 Edition (Reprint Edition-2008). In view of this, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution, the president is pleased to direct that a new para 551(F) may be inserted in Chapter-5 of the Indian Railway Establishment Code, Volume - l, 1985 Edition (Reprint Edition-2008) as per enclosed Advance Correction Slip -132.

4. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

5. Please acknowledge receipt.
DA:- Correction Slip.

sd/-
(Anil Kumar)
Railway Board

Authority: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

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Correction in para 228 of Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Volume -I (Revised Edition1989) Edition -2009 Erroneous Promotions

Correction in para 228 of Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Volume -I (Revised Edition1989) Edition -2009 Erroneous Promotions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (BHARAT SARKAR)
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (RAIL MANTRALAYA)
(RAIL WAY BOARD)

RBE NO. 86 12016
2016/CR/IREM Volume-I/Corrigendum

New Delhi, dated 19.7.2016

The General Managers (P)
All Indian Rail ways &
Production Units etc.
(As per standard list)

CORRIGENDUM

Sub:- Correction in para 228 of Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Volume -I (Revised Edition1989) Edition -2009 Erroneous Promotions.

In the Indian Railway Establishment Manual, Volume-I (Revised Edition 1989)/ Fist Re-print Edition – 2009,” Rule 2927- R II “appearing in the last sentence of existing para 228 II(d) at page no.85 may be read as” Rule 2027 – R II (Fifth reprint) 1974, renumbered as Rule-1327 – R- II( 2nd Reprint)2005
Please acknowledge receipt.

sd/-
(Abhilasha Jha Misra)
Director Accounting Reforms
Railway Board

Source : NFIR

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Railway employees to have new uniforms designed by Ritu Beri

Railway employees to have new uniforms designed by Ritu Beri

New Delhi: Five lakh railway employees comprising front office staff, TTEs, guards, drivers and catering personnel will soon don new uniforms created by fashion designer Ritu Beri woven around the theme of Indian culture.

Beri submitted four different sets of uniform, each with a distinct texture, to the Railway Ministry five days back and the public transporter will soon launch an online initiative on Twitter, Facebook and the ministry’s website seeking the views of people to help it select the attire.

In the first phase, the new uniform will be issued to five lakh of 13 lakh employees of the Indian Railway.

Beri said the look of the uniform will be an ode to India and her exoticism.

“The focus is to reflect modern India while respecting our deep-rooted tradition and culture, thus reflecting the glory of India. The uniforms will be Indo-western in cut and silhouette with comfort being the most important factor,” she said.

The idea behind introducing the new uniform is to instill a sense of pride and belonging among the staff rendering their services to around two crore passengers every day, a senior official involved in the project said.

He said, in the first phase, front office staff, guards, drivers and catering personnel, onboard staff, station masters, loco pilots, train ticket examiners and gangmen will be given the uniform at an estimated cost about Rs 50 crore. The new uniform will also be given to the technical staff in workshops and production units.

Currently, railway staff including TTEs, station masters and guards wear uniforms which were designed long ago.

Beri’s new collection includes sarees and T-shirts.

The new dress is expected to be ready for use by the year-end, the official said, adding a common uniform can be worn for ceremonial occasions like celebration of Railway Day, sporting events and prize distribution ceremonies.

One of the designs Beri has submitted is based on tribal art, while the other is inspired by rustic coins and currency of the ‘golden period’ of the country. The third is based on the legacy of nawabs, while fourth is inspired by pop art. The fourth option, classified as vibrant soul of India, reflects elements of culture, business, music and entertainment.

“The work on the uniform designs is in progress. For now,

we have made the first presentation. We have worked very hard for two months and researched on various possibilities. We will work with Khadi, our national fabric, which also works well given our climate conditions.

“The idea is to create uniforms that are attractive, impactful and comfortable at the same time. I wish to retain our traditional look but give it a modern twist in keeping with today’s times,” Beri told

PTI

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Railways: Now, cancelling train tickets will be just a phone call away

Now, cancelling train tickets will be just a phone call away

Indian Railway is set to launch a facility next month for the hassled passengers who find it hard to reach its counters within the stipulated time to cancel their confirmed tickets and claim refund.

Come April and cancelling a confirmed train ticket would only be a phone call away.

Indian Railway is set to launch a facility next month for the hassled passengers who find it hard to reach its counters within the stipulated time to cancel their confirmed tickets and claim refund.

“One has to dial 139 giving details of the confirmed ticket for cancelling it and the sender will get a one-time password (OTP). Passenger has to reach the counter the same day and reveal the OTP to claim refund,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.

After the change in refund rules, a lot of passengers are now finding it difficult to reach counters to cancel the reserved tickets within the stipulated time and as a result they are losing money.

According to the new refund rules, railways has doubled the ticket cancellation charge with the aim of helping genuine passengers get confirmed tickets.

“The refund rules were revised to discourage touts and ticketing agents who engage in black marketing of tickets,” said the official, adding “however, it has also resulted in inconvenience in some genuine cases. So we are now providing the 139 facility for cancellation.” Coming to the aid of harried passengers, railways will launch the cancellation facility through 139 service so that one does not have to rush to the counter to cancel confirmed tickets. The tickets which are booked online can be cancelled on the ticketing websites. The 139 facility is for those who bought tickets from counters. The software is ready and the facility is likely to be formally launched in the second week of April.

PTI

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Indian Railway Decides to Continue Facilitator Scheme

Indian Railway Decides to Continue Facilitator Scheme

The Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) were introduced to facilitate passengers in getting unreserved tickets without manual intervention. In the initial phase, to popularise the use of smart cards and to make the general public accustomed to using the ATVMs, the scheme for Facilitators was introduced.

Initially, instructions for engaging facilitators on Central & Western Railway were issued and subsequently all zonal Railways were allowed to engage facilitators. Thereafter, the scheme has been reviewed from time to time and extensions were given on annual basis. The last extension has been given upto 31.03.2016.

This issue has been examined again and based on the feedback received from zonal Railways a decision to continue with the scheme up to 31.03.2017 has been taken. It has, however, been decided that on those zonal Railways where this concept was introduced in 2011-12, this scheme will not be extended beyond 31-03-2017. It has also been stipulated that ATVMs shall be earmarked on rotational basis to facilitators and general public. This has been done keeping in view the complaints that the machines of facilitators function properly whereas those for general public remain out of order.

PIB

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NFIR writes to Railway Board on Amendment of wage calculation limit from 3500 to 7000

NFIR writes to Railway Board on Amendment of wage calculation limit from 3500 to 7000

NFIR
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI – 110 055

No. 1/10/Part IV

Dated: 07/03/2016

Shri Suresh Prabhu,
Hon’ble Minister for Railways, Rail Mantralaya,
New Delhi

Respected Sir,

Sub: Amendment to payment of Bonus Act, 1965-Revision of wage calculation limit from Rs. 3500/- p.m. to Rs. 7000/- p.m. with effect from 01/04/2014- payment of P.L. Bonus to Railway employees at revised rate of Rs. 7000/- p.m.-reg.

Ref: Railway Board’s reply vide No. E(P&A)II-2014/PLB-8 dated 16/02/2016 to GS/NFIR.
While thanking the Railway Ministry for its prompt reply to NFIR under reference No. E(P&A)II-2014/PLB-8 dated 16/02/2016, the Federation re-iterates the following facts for taking appropriate steps by the Government.

(i) The chronological developments since decades need to be taken into account for processing the case for payment of PL Bonus to the Railway employees at the revised wage calculation ceiling limit i.e. Rs. 7000/- p.m. w.e.f. 01/04/2014.

(ii) When the Bonus Act was amended, raising the wage calculation ceiling from Rs. 750 to 1600, the Railway employees were paid PL Bonus at the revised wage calculation ceiling limit. Subsequently, when the Bonus Act was amended, revising the wage calculation limit from Rs. 1600/- to Rs. 2500/-, the said rate was adopted by the Railway Ministry and PL Bonus paid to the Railway employees at the revised rates.

(iii) When the wage calculation ceiling was again revised to Rs. 3500/- w.e.f. 1st April 2006, the Federation took up the issue and explained the merits of the case for adopting the rate of Rs. 3500/- w.e.f. 01/04/2006 for ensuring payment of PL Bonus. The Railway Ministry had processed the case and obtained Union Cabinet’s approval and issued orders vide letter No. E(P&A)II-2008/PLB-10 dated 03/10/2008, duly revising the wage calculation ceiling to Rs. 3500/- with retrospective effect i.e, from 01/04/2006, consequently, PLB arrears for the year 2006-07 were paid to the Railway employees in October 2008.

From the above facts, it could be seen that the payment of P.L. Bonus has been ensured commensurating with the revision of wage calculation ceiling limit made through amendments to Bonus Act, 1965 without any deviation. Similarly when the wage calculation ceiling limit has been raised to Rs. 7000/- p.m., the Railway Employees are entitled for payment of P.L. Bonus at revised rates for the year 2014-15.

NFIR, therefore, requests the Hon’ble Railway Minister to kindly arrange to process the case on top priority for obtaining the approval of the Union Cabinet for making payment of PL Bonus arrears pertaining to the year 2014-15 to the Railway employees at the earliest.

Yours sincerely,

(Dr. M. Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

Source : NFIR

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RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-2017 : Ministry of Railways: Indian Railway

RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-2017 : Ministry of Railways

• No Hike in Passenger Fare
• 65,000 Additional Berths and 17,000 Bio Toilets to be Installed
• Operations Audit to Improve Punctuality of trains Proposed
• Wi Fi Facilities in 400 more Stations
• Stations to be Developed Under PPP Mode
• Award of Civil Contracts for Dedicated Freight Corridor to be Over by the end of this Financial Year
• Capacity of E-Ticketing System to be Enhanced
• Increased Quota of Lower Berth for Senior Citizens and Women
• 820 Robs / Rubs constructed
• Operating Ratio to Increase from 90% to 92% Proposed
• Nargol- Hazira Port Connectivity to be taken up under PPP Mode

There is no hike in passenger fare in this year’s Railway Budget. Presenting the Railway Budget 2016-17 in the Parliament today Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said the budget seeks to fulfil the long-felt desires of the common man such as reserved accommodation on trains available on demand, time tabled freight trains, high end technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings, improved punctuality, higher average speed of freight trains, semi high speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral, zero direct discharge of human waste by the year 2020. He said Cabinet approval has been received for re-development of stations under PPP mode.

Shri Suresh Prabhu said the Indian Railways budget proposes to overcome challenges by Reorganizing Restructuring and Rejuvenating Indian Railways with the Slogan “Chalo, Milkar Kuch Naya Karen’”. The strategy for this will have three pillars i.e. Nav Arjan – New revenues, Nav Manak – New norms, and Nav Sanrachna – New Structures.

In order to make travel on Indian Railways more comfortable, the Indian Railways proposes to give more facilities to the passengers . 65,000 additional berths will be provided in the trains and 2500 water vending machines will be installed . The railways have developed world’s first Bio-Vaccum toilet and 17,000 Bio-toilets will be provided in the trains. With the purpose of improving punctuality of trains operations audit from Ghaziabad to Mughalsarai section will be introduced. The Indian Railways proposes to introduce 1,780 Automatic Ticket Vending Machines all over the country with mobile apps and GoIndia smartcard for cashless purchase of UTS and PRS tickets. The capacity of e-ticketing system will be enhanced from 2,000 tickets per minute to 7,200 tickets per minute to support 1,20,000 concurrent users as against 40,000 earlier. 400 more stations will be provided with Wi Fi facilities.

As a part of social initiatives, online booking of wheelchairs and Braille enabled new coaches will be introduced for the Divyang. Increased quota of lower berths for senior citizens and women and reserving middle bays for women in reserved coaches has been proposed. Passengers security will be enhanced through more helplines and CCTVs.

To reduce accidents at level crossings, the budget proposes to eliminate 1000 unmanned level crossings and closures of 350 manned level crossings. 820 Rail Over Bridges (ROB)/ Rail Under Bridges (RUB) will be completed during the current financial year and work is going on in additional 1350 of them.

Referring to the progress of Dedicated Freight Corridor Project the Railway Minister said that almost all contracts for civil engineering works will be awarded by the end of this financial year. He said Rs.24,000 crore worth contracts were awarded since November 2014 as against Rs. 13,000 crore contracts awarded during the last six years. Shri Prabhu said Railways proposes to take up North-South, East-West and East Coast freight corridors through innovative financing including PPP.

Underlining the importance of Jammu and Kashmir and North East the Minister said work on Katra-Banihal section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project is progressing satisfactorily and 35 kms of tunnelling out of total of 95 kms has been completed. He said decongestion work on Jalandhar – Jammu section is in full swing and doubling of two bridges will be over by next month, while the other two bridges will be completed by 2016-17. In North East , Mizoram and Manipur will shortly come on BG map of the country with commissioning of the Kathakal-Bhairabi and Arunachal-Jiribam Gauge conversion projects.
Giving the progress card of port connectivity projects the Minister informed that Tuna Port connectivity project has been commissioned and rail connectivity projects to ports of Jaigarh, Dighi, Rewas and Paradip are under implementation. He said implementation of rail connectivity for the ports of Nargol and Hazira will be taken up under PPP in 2016-17.

Referring to the financial performance the Minister said during 2015-16 a saving of Rs.8720 crore could be achieved neutralizing the most of the revenue shortfall with operating ratio of 90%. He said the budget proposes operating ratio of 92%, restricting growth of ordinary working expenses by 11.6% after building in immediate impact of 7th PC, reduction in diesel and electricity consumption and Revenue generation of Rs. 1,84,820 crore for 2016-17. He said during 2015-16 investment would be close to double of average of previous five years.

Shri Suresh Prabhu said Railways would be able to achieve annualized savings of Rs.3000 crore in the energy sector during the next financial year itself, a year earlier than announced. He said this could be achieved by procuring power directly at competitive rates.

The Railway Minister said social media will be used as a tool to bring in transparency. All procurement including procurement of works will be moved to e-platform. He said the trial of awarding tender electronically was successful and it will be rolled out on Pan India basis in 2016-17.

Giving an outline of the way ahead, the Minister informed Parliament that his Ministry proposes to take various measures to improve quality of travel which will include introduction of unreserved superfast Antyodaya Express Trains, introduction of Tezas train with the speed of 130 Km. and above with onboard entertainment and Wi Fi etc., unreserved Deen Dayalu coaches with portable water and higher number of mobile charging points and introduction of AC and non AC double decker trains on busy routes with the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%. Sale of tickets through hand held terminals; e- ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, expansion of Vikalp – train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to wait-listed passengers. E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalists; facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One Time Password’ sent on registered phone number, CCTV cameras on tatkal windows and periodic audit of PRS website will also be introduced.

Shri Suresh Prabhu said it is proposed to convert all operational halts into commercial halts for the benefit of common man. The Minister said Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway will be expanding to help the old and disabled passenger. The existing services for enabling passengers to book battery operated cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop, and wheel chair services will be strengthened. All stations under redevelopment will be accessible for Divyang. There will be at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next financial year and availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these stations will be ensured. Children’s menu items, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available under Janani Sewa.

SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches will be introduced to ensure higher carrying capacity and provision of new amenities including automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens, LED lit boards for advertising, PA system. It is also proposed to integrate all facilities into two mobile apps dealing with ticketing issues and for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions. With a view to improve customer interface information boards in trains enumerating the on-board services and GPS based digital displays will be installed inside coaches to provide real time information regarding upcoming halts. Work is underway for the installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations for enabling real time flow of information to passengers and also to unlock huge advertising potential. All A1 class stations will be manned with duly empowered Station Directors supported by cross functional teams, to make one person accountable for all facilities on trains.
Shri Suresh Prabhu said it is proposed to take up on priority the provision of passenger amenities and beautification on stations at pilgrimage centres including Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded, Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Puri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco. Aastha circuit trains will be introduced to connect important pilgrim centres.

He said optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the time of booking and clean my coach through sms will also be introduced in due course. High speed passenger corridor from Ahmedabad to Mumbai will be developed with the financial assistance from Government of Japan. FM Radio Stations will be invited to provide train borne entertainment, Rail Bandhu Mazagine will be provided in all reserved coaches in all regional languages.

Referring to the financial performance of 2015-16 the Railway Minister said Stringent economy and austerity measures adopted to contain the Ordinary Working Expenses (O.W.E.) due to which budgeted OWE of Rs 1,19,410 crore decreased in the Revised Estimates 2015-16 to Rs. 1,10,690 crore i.e. by Rs 8,720 crore. BE provided for an appropriation of Rs. 34,900 crore to the Pension Fund. However, based on trend, the pension outgo moderately decreased to Rs. 34,500 crore in RE. Internal resource generation diminished and appropriation to DRF moderated to Rs. 5,500 crore in RE from the BE 2015-16 provisioning of Rs. 7,900 crore. Excess of receipts over expenditure in RE 2015-16 stands at Rs. 11,402.40 crore. Plan size for 2015-16 is currently estimated at 1,00,000 crore i.e. the BE level.

Regarding Budget Estimates 2016-17 the Minister informed that the Gross Traffic Receipts are kept at Rs 1,84,820 crore . Passenger earnings growth has been pegged at 12.4 % and earnings target budgeted at Rs. 51,012 crore. The freight traffic is pegged at incremental traffic of 50 million tonnes, anticipating a healthier growth in the core sector of economy. Goods earnings is accordingly proposed at Rs. 1, 17,933 crore.

Other coaching and sundries projected at Rs. 6,185 crore and Rs. 9,590.3 crore respectively. OWE provides for the implementation of the 7th CPC.Pension outgo budgeted at Rs 45,500 crore in 2016-17. Higher staff cost and pension liability impacts the internal resource position of the Railways. Accordingly, appropriation to DRF from revenue placed at Rs 3,200 crore and that from Production Units at Rs 200 crore. A withdrawal of Rs 3,160 crore from DRF on net basis proposed though the gross expenditure to be met from DRF in the Annual Plan estimated at Rs 7,160 crore. Rs 5,750 crore proposed to be appropriated to the Capital fund. With a draw-down of Rs 1,250 crore from previous balances in the fund, plan requirement of Rs 7,000 crore for repayment of principal component of lease charges to IRFC have been met. Railways are preparing a Plan size of Rs. 1,21,000 crore in 2016-17, the Minister added.

PIB

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Highlights of the Railway Budget 2016-17 – An Official Report

Highlights of the Railway Budget 2016-17 – An Official Report

Highlights of the Railway Budget 2016-17

Theme of the Budget : Overcoming challenges – Reorganize, Restructure Rejuvenate Indian Railways: ‘Chalo, Milkar Kuch Naya Karen’

Three pillars of the strategy i.e. Nav Arjan – New revenues, Nav Manak – New norms, Nav Sanrachna – New Structures.

Financial Performance : 2015-16- Savings of Rs. 8,720 crore neutralizing most of the revenue shortfall, expected OR 90%;

2016-17- Targeted Operating Ratio (OR) – 92%, restrict growth of Ordinary Working Expenses by 11.6% after building in immediate impact of 7th PC, reductions planned in diesel and electricity consumption, Revenue generation targeted at Rs. 1,84,820crore.

Investments and Resources : Process bottlenecks overhauled including delegation of powers to functional levels; average capital expenditure over 2009-14 is Rs. 48,100 crore, average growth of 8% per annum.

2015-16 investment would be close to double of the average of previous 5 years.

2016-17 CAPEX pegged at Rs. 1.21 lakh crore; implementation through joint ventures with states, developing new frameworks for PPP, etc.

Vision : By 2020, long-felt desires of the common man to be fulfilled i.e, reserved accommodation on trains available on demand, time tabled freight trains, high end technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings, improved punctuality, higher average speed of freight trains, semi high speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral, zero direct discharge of human waste. 

2015-16-Achievements : Action initiated on 139 budget announcements of 2015-16. 

Project execution : 2015-16 – assured funding through LIC; commissioning of 2,500 kms Broad Gauge lines; commissioning of 1,600 kms of electrification, highest ever. In 2016-17 – targeted commissioning 2,800 kms of track; commissioning Broad Gauge lines @ over 7 kms per day against an average of about 4.3 kms per day in the last 6 years. Would increase to about 13 kms per day in 2017-18 and 19 kms per day in 2018-19; will generate employment of about 9 crore man days in 2017-18 and 14 crore man days in 2018-19. Outlay for railway electrification increased in 2016-17 by almost 50%; target to electrify 2,000 kms.

Dedicated Freight Corridor : Almost all contracts for civil engineering works to be awarded by March 31st 2016; Rs. 24,000 crore contracts awarded since November 2014 as against Rs. 13,000 crore contracts awarded in last 6 years; propose to take up North-South, East-West & East Coast freight corridors through innovative financing including PPP.

Port connectivity : Tuna Port commissioned and rail connectivity projects to ports of Jaigarh, Dighi, Rewas and Paradip under implementation; implementation of rail connectivity for the ports of Nargol and Hazira under PPP in 2016-17.

North East : BG Lumding-Silchar section in Assam opened thus connecting Barak Valley with rest of the country; Agartala brought on to the BG network. States of Mizoram and Manipur shortly to come on BG map of the country with commissioning of the Kathakal-Bhairabi and Arunachal-Jiribam Gauge Conversion projects.

Jammu and Kashmir : Work on Katra-Banihal section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project progressing satisfactorily- 35 kms of tunnelling out of total of 95 kms completed; Decongestion work on Jalandhar – Jammu line in full swing and doubling of two bridges to be commissioned by March 2016, while the other two bridges will be completed by 2016-17.

Make in India: Finalised bids for two loco factories; proposed to increase the current procurement of train sets by 30%.

Capacity Building for the future through: Transparency – initiated recruitments online in 2015-16, process now being replicated for all positions, social media being used as a tool to bring in transparency, all procurement including procurement of works moved to the e-platform, completed trial of process leading to award of tender electronically and to be rolled out on a PanIndia basis in 2016-17.

Governance – delegation led to compression of project sanction time to 6-8 months from 2 years earlier, key result areas identified to judge performance of GMs and DRMs, performance related MOUs signed with few Zones, to be replicated for all zones.

Internal audit measures – specialised teams mandated to screen railway operations in specific areas to detect inefficiencies and prevent wastages, every zone preparing 2 reports by March 31, 2016.
Partnerships – Cabinet approval for JVs with State Governments, 17 consented and 6 MOUs signed with State Governments. 44 new partnership works covering about 5,300 kms and valuing about Rs. 92,714 crore have been indicated in the Budget documents.

Customer Interface : Interaction and feedback through social media & dedicated IVRS system.
Making travel comfortable by generating over 65,000 additional berths, installing 2,500 water vending machines; introducing ‘Mahamana Express’ with modern refurbished coaches; 17,000 bio-toilets in trains; world’s first Bio-Vacuum toilet developed.

Improving punctuality – operations audit for Ghaziabad to Mughalsarai section.

Ticketing: Introduced 1,780 Automatic Ticket Vending Machines, mobile apps & GoIndia smartcard for cashless purchase of UTS and PRS tickets, enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2,000 tickets per minute to 7,200 tickets per minute and to support 1,20,000 concurrent users as against only 40,000 earlier.

Social initiatives: One-time registration for availing concessions while booking tickets online, online booking of wheelchairs & Braille enabled new coaches introduced for the Divyang, increased quota of lower berths for senior citizens and women, middle bays reserved in coaches for women.

Wi-Fi provided in 100 stations, to be provided in 400 more.

Stations being redeveloped – financial bid received for Habibganj, Bhopal; Cabinet approval for stations to be taken up under PPP.

Security through helplines & CCTVs.

Safety – 350 manned level crossings closed, eliminated 1,000 unmanned level crossings, 820 ROB/RUB completed in the current year and work going on in 1,350 of them.

Other major achievements : Energy: annualized savings of Rs. 3,000 crore to be achieved in the next financial year itself, a year earlier than announced; achieved by procuring power directly at competitive rates using IR’s status as Deemed Distribution Licensee.

Rail University – initially identified the National Academy of Indian Railways at Vadodara.
Digital India: application of Track Management System (TMS) launched, inventory management module of TMS has resulted in inventory reduction by 27,000 MT resulting in saving of Rs.64 crore and scrap identification of 22,000 MT equivalent to Rs.53 crore.

The Way Ahead Improving quality of travel For the unreserved passenger –Antyodaya Express unreserved, superfast service.

Deen Dayalu coaches – unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of
mobile charging points.

For the reserved passenger – Humsafar – fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals 

Tejas – will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above.Will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, WiFi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction Humsafar and Tejas to ensure cost recovery through tariff and non-tariff measures UDAY – overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.

Ticketing: Sale of tickets through hand held terminals; e- ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis. Expansion of Vikalp – train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to wait-listed passengers. 

E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalists; facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One Time Password’ sent on registered phone number, to improve tatkaal services CCTV cameras on windows and periodic audit of PRS website.

Cleanliness -‘Clean my Coach’ service through SMS, ranking of A1 and A stations based on periodic third party audit and passenger feedback; waste segregation and recycling centres; ‘Awareness campaigns’; additional 30,000 bio-toilets; providing portable structures with biotoilets at all platforms of select stations for senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers, plan to explore innovative means of providing and maintaining toilets such as advertisement rights, CSR, voluntary support from social organizations.

Catering and stalls at stations -IRCTC to manage catering services in a phased manner; explore possibility of making catering services optional, adding 10 more IRCTC operated base kitchens; to build local ownership and empowerment, weightage will be given to district domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations. Stoppages: convert all operational halts into commercial halts for the benefit of the common man. Rail Mitra Sewa: expanding Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway to help the old and disabled passengers, strengthening the existing services for enabling passengers to book battery operated cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop, and wheel chair services.
 
Measures for Divyang: all stations under redevelopment accessible by Divyang; to provide at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next financial year and also ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these stations.

Travel Insurance to passengers – to offer optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the time of booking.

Hourly booking of retiring rooms – will be handed over to IRCTC.

Expanding the freight basket of IR – to start time-tabled freight container, parcel and special commodity trains on a pilot basis, container sector would be opened to all traffic barring coal, specified mineral ores and part-loads during the non-peak season. All existing terminals/sheds would be granted access to container traffic, where considered feasible. Rationalising the tariff structure – undertake review of tariff policy to evolve a competitive rate structure vis a vis other modes, permit multi-point loading/unloading and apply differentiated tariffs to increase utilization of alternate routes, explore possibility of signing long term tariff contracts with our key freight customers using pre-determined price escalation principles.

Building terminal capacity – proposed to develop Rail side logistics parks and warehousing in PPP mode, 10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics Company of India, in 2016-17. To soon inaugurate India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai. Encourage development of cold storage facilities on vacant land near freight terminals. Local farmers and fisherman would be given preferential usage of the facility. A policy in this regard would be issued in the next 3 months.

Nurturing customers – will appoint Key Customer Managers to liaison with our major freight stakeholders; each Zonal Railway will develop customer commitment charter indicating service level commitments of IR, will explore the feasibility of opening up leasing of general purpose wagons.

Annex-2 of the speech details the Implementation of Budget announcements 2015-16

Source: Indian Railway

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Provision of E-Catering Facilities in Railways

Provision of E-Catering Facilities in Railways

In order to widen the range of food options available to passengers, E-catering services have been introduced, through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in trains without pantry car or Train Side Vending as well as on 45 designated stations from where passengers of originating/passing trains can avail of this facility. The details of stations selected for this purpose are as follows:-

 Howrah, Sealdah, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam, Mughalsarai Junction (Jn.), Kanpur Central, Lucknow Jn., Varanasi, Jaipur, Bilaspur, Kharagpur, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Anand Vihar Terminal, Hazarat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Secunderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Ernakulam Jn., Kozhikkode, Madurai Jn., Thrisur, Tiruvananthapuram Central, Bangalore City, Yasvantpur, Nagpur, Pune, Agra Cantt., Gwalior, Jhansi, Bhopal, Ahmedabad Mumbai Central, Surat & Vadodara. IRCTC has tied up with renowned, reputed and established brands in the field of catering services so that the passengers can order good quality and hygienic food of their choice. Further, Janta Khana is also being made available through E-catering services.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

PIB

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Grant of 30% HRA to staff working Umdanagar, Medchal and Gundlapochampally on par with the staff working in GHMC limits.

Grant of 30% HRA to staff working Umdanagar, Medchal and Gundlapochampally on par with the staff working in GHMC limits.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. E(P&A)II-2012/HRA-1

New Delhi, dated 18.9.2015.

The General Manager (P),
South-Central Railway,
Secunderabad

Sub:- Grant of 30% HRA to staff working Umdanagar, Medchal and Gundlapochampally on par with the staff working in GHMC limits.

Please refer to your office letter No. SCR/P-HQ/Ruling/O/811/HRA dated 29.06.15 on the above noted subject.

As per the dependency certificates dated 23.6.2015 issued by the District Collector of Ranga Reddy District, Umdanagar, Medchal & Gundlapochampally in Andhra Pradesh fulfill all the conditions prescribed in Para 2 of Board’s letter No.PC-65/HRA-1/3 dated 22-7-1965, as amended from time to time. The President is, therefore, pleased to decide that Railway employees posted at Umdanagar, Medchal and gundlapochampally, in Andhra Pradesh may be paid House Rent Allowance at the rates applicable to those posted with the classified city of Hyderabad (UA) [‘X’ class city] subject to fulfillment of the conditions laid down for grant of House Rent Allowance.

2. These orders will be valid from 01.06.2015 (a) for a period of 3 yrs i.e. upto 31.05.2018 or, (b) till the conditions prescribed in Para 2 of Board’s letter 22-7-1965, referred to above continue to be fulfilled in respect of Umdangar (ii) Medchal & (iii) Gundlapochampally or (c) until issue of any further orders in this regard by the Ministry of Railways, whichever is earliest.

3. The period at (a) of Para 2 above may, however, be extended after obtaining a fresh Dependency Certificate as prescribed in clause (ii) of Para 2 of Board’s letter dated 22-07-1965, as amended from time to time and in accordance with the provisions of Board’s letter No. E(P&A)II-85/HRA-12 dated 11-3-1986.

4. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

sd/-
(Salim Md. Ahmed)
Dy. Director, Estt.(P&A)II
Railway Board

Source: NFIR

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Recognition of qualification acquired through distance learning mode from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi Diploma/Degrees -Acceptance for purpose of employment on the railways.

Recognition of BCA degree acquired through distance learning mode of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for Junior Engineer Recruitment in Railways – RBE 67/2015

Railway Board has accepted the IGNOU diploma/degree for the purpose of employment in Railways.  Ministry Railways issue communication to all recruitment heads of Railways confirming Recognition of qualification acquired through distance learning mode from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Government of India (Bharat Sarkar)
Ministry of Railways (Rail Mantralaya)
(Railway Board)

RBE No. 67/2015
No. E (NG)-11/201 0/RR-1 /17
New Delhi, dated: 16.06.2015
The General Manager (P),
All Zonal Railways/Production Units, CORE/Allahabad,
MTP/Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai,
CAO (R), DMW/Patiala, COFMOW/New Delhi,
Director General, RDSO/Lucknow & NAIRNadodra,
Director, IRISET/Secundrabad, IRICEN/Pune, IRIEEN/Nasik &
IRIM&EE/Jamalpur and Chairmen/Railway Recruitment Boards.

Sub: Recognition of qualification acquired through distance learning mode from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi Diploma/Degrees -Acceptance for purpose of employment on the railways.

Ref: Letter No. 2002/AC-II(CC)/37/8 dated 17/11/2004 and No. 2002/ACII(CC)/37/8(Vol.l) dated 24/9/2012.

***

Minimum educational qualification for open market recruitment to the category of Junior Engineer (Information Technology), has been prescribed in terms of instructions referred to above.

An issue has been raised by one of Railway Recruitment Boards whether qualification of Bachelor in Computer Application (BCA) obtained from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) New Delhi through distance learning mode is acceptable for employment on the railways, in lieu of qualification prescribed for the post of Junior Engineer (IT) vide letters ibid.

The issue has been examined in consultation with Accounts and C&IS Directorates of this Ministry. It has been decided by the Board that Qualification of BCA obtained through distance mode cannot be accepted in lieu of the minimum qualification prescribed for the post of Junior Engineer (II).

Please acknowledge receipt.

(This disposes of RRB/Kolkata’s letter No.RRB/KOL/JAA/SRC/ECRC/16/Pt.I. 19/12/2014)

-sd-
(Lily Pandeya)
Director Estt. (N)-11
Railway Board

Download Railway Board RBE No.67/2015 No. E (NG)-11/201 0/RR-1 /17 dated 16.06.2015

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Indian Railway: Swachh Bharat Mission- Annual Action Plan

Indian Railway: Swachh Bharat Mission- Annual Action Plan

Annual Action Plan for the Year 2014-15

• In terms of the mega-initiatives taken by Zonal Railways under the Swachh Bharat Mission, regular events on cleanliness are to be organized, including periodic cleanliness drives.

• All aspects of the campaign shall be continued including tree plantation, removal of encroachments, painting of road kerbs, clearing posters, repairing street lights, improving drainage, improving signage, whitewashing of buildings etc. shall be continued.

• Focus on clean and hygienic toilets and in particular those located at railway stations.

• Main sources of garbage generation should be identified at stations and station specific solutions should be put in place.

• Dust bins should be provided at all locations in the stations and the public should be advised and encouraged to use the same. Garbage generated by vendors/stalls/catering units should be promptly disposed off by the stall/unit holders into the earmarked refuse bins.

• Under this mission it shall be ensured that stations, tracks, colonies and offices are maintained in a clean and hygienic condition.

• There will be sustained ‘Public Awareness Campaign’ to promote Swachh Bharat Mission.

• Campaign should also include action under the Railway’s anti-littering rules of 2012.

• More and more mechanized cleaning gadgets will be introduced along with better types of cleaning agents. Periodic contracts for rag picking and garbage disposal to be awarded.

• More and more toilets will be brought under the purview of ‘Pay & Use’ toilets.

• Regular inspections to be conducted at various levels viz. GMs, DRMS, SIGs (Service Improvement Groups) and at other Officers level to check the standard of cleanliness. During these inspections, deficiencies if noticed in various areas such as drainage, availability of dustbin, sewerage, water supply, washable apron and garbage disposal, will be wiped out.

• Monitoring cleanliness through CCTV cameras installed at major stations.

• An award to recognize the best efforts made by the zonal railways at stations towards the cause of cleanliness shall be introduced. Such an award shall be called “Swachh Station” award and shall be given on All India basis in each category of station.

In line with the above, the following action shall be taken:

(i) Each Zonal Railway shall prepare a division-wise Action Plan which shall indicate the mechanism of cleaning (departmental or outsourced) and the frequency prescribed for cleaning at each station.

(ii) Mechanism for monitoring cleanliness at the station along with the inspection schedule at the station where the monitoring shall be done through CCTVs.

(iii) At all ‘A-1″ category stations under the cleanliness contract, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) prescribing measurement of cleanliness shall be gradually introduced. A sample SLA may be obtained from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

(iv) The divisions shall upload photographs of cleanliness drives to the website at a specified periodicity.

(v) Zonal Railways shall indicate the Action Plan, allocation of assessed funds for cleanliness drives for implementing the Swachh Bharat Mission.

(vi) Each division should identify vulnerable areas between stations for clearing encroachment and dumping of wastes and shall take coordinated action with local bodies. The RPF in coordination with GRP should ensure that trespassing is checked to prevent dumping of wastes in the railway area.

(vii) The mechanism of cleaning of trains under OBHS, CTS, etc., should be laid down clearly.

(viii) Public awareness campaign and public education campaign should be carried out on a regular basis. Apart from the media available with the railways, such as public announcement system, CCTVs, advertisement space at stations, etc., division should also issue press releases in the newspapers. Interviews to press and media by senior officers should be given to ensure adequate coverage of the action taken.
(ix) Use of social media should also be made to interact with the public and seeking their support on the endeavour of Indian Railways in the Swachh Bharat Mission.

(x) The progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission should be monitored on a daily basis by the ADRMs at the divisional and AGM at the Zonal level. Monthly reports should be sent to Railway Board.

Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

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Environmental issues in Indian Railway – Formation of Environment Directorate in Railway Board

Environmental issues in Indian Railway – Formation of Environment Directorate in Railway Board

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No.20l5/ Environ/6/1

New Delhi dated 07.01.2015

To
GMs / Zonal Railways and Production Units,
CAO/DMW/Patiala and CAO/RWP/Bela

Sub: Environmental issues in IR – Formation of Environment Directorate in Railway Board.

In order to give an increased focus and thrust on Environmental issues handled in IR, an exclusive Directorate has been formed in Railway Board, headed by an Advisor, functioning directly under CRB. Executive Directors from Civil Engineering, Electrical, Mechanical, Traffic & Commercial, Finance and Efficiency & Research Directorates have been earmarked to be part of the Environment Directorate. This Directorate will monitor Zonal Railways and Production Units with regard to their performance on Environmental issues, particularly on:

(a) Pollution Control
(b) Efficiency in consumption of Energy
(c) Conservation of resources, particularly water
(d) Proper Lise of land including afforestation and
(e) Developrnent, production & use of alternative sources of energy.

2.0 In order to increase the focus and thrust on Environmental issues, following actions may kindly be taken.

i) Trend of consumption of Traction energy (Electrical and Diesel) to be monitored and figured along with comments as a regular item of the body of your MCDO.

ii) Audit & accreditation on Environment in major activity centres viz., workshops, depots/sheds and Railway stations, to be completed early in a time bound manner.

iii) Undertaking Audits on Energy and water consumption in the ‘A category’ consumption centres and ensuring completion of the same along with an action plan within the next 6 months.

iv) Introducing a system of user level (including stations) monitoring of consumption of all types of energy as well as water on a monthly basis, along with a trend analysis and Bench marking of consumption.

v) Identification of ongoing works having positive contribution towards Environment, taking forward the same for timely completion and realization of benefits.

vi) Annexing a report in the MCDO on trends/ developments on environmental issues, particularly with regard to items listed in (i) to (v) above, department wise, along with highlights if any, in the body of MCDO.

3.0 Compilation of reports periodically with regard to the environmental issues/actions as flagged above may be assigned to the Planning & Efficiency wing functioning in each Zonal Railway with actions to be coordinated by SDGIVl/AGM. In the case of PUs, this task may be assigned to the wing responsible for M&P maintenance.

4.0 Kindly send your reply tc this letter indicating actions being taken/ proposed by various departments on environmental issues, within a fortnight.

(K.Swaminathan)
Advisor (Environment)
Railway Board

Source: Indian Railways

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Qualifications awarded by various Boards of School Education in India for the purpose of employment in Railways

Acceptance of certificates/qualifications awarded by various Boards of School Education in India for the purpose of employment on the railways.

Clarification has been received from nodal Ministry/Department of Government of India, viz, Department of Personnel & Training (DOP&T) and M/o Human Resource Development (MHRD) stating that COBSE (Council of Board of School Education in India), an Association of National & State School Boards, is responsible for verifying genuineness/ recognition of School Education Boards in India. It grants membership to Boards/Institutes that are set up by an Act of Parliament or State Legislature or an executive order of the Central/State Governments and follow National Curriculum Framework.

The certificates issued by its member Boards are equivalent to any other board across the country. Accordingly, the matter has been examined and it has been decided by the Board that zonal railways need not approach this Ministry seeking such clarification regarding acceptance or otherwise of certificates/qualification obtained from various Boards of School Education in India and instead, refer to official website of COBSE i.e. www.cobse.org which contain list of Boards of School Education which are Member Boards of COBSE.

Thus certificates/ qualification obtained from all such institutions borne on the aforesaid list will be acceptable for the purpose of employment on the railways, from the date on which the said institution has been accorded membership by COBSE, if they were not recognized earlier by any competent authority. This date of acceptability of certificate may be obtained by approaching COBSE directly and a copy of clarification thus obtained may also be endorsed to this Ministry for information & record.

Source Document : Railway Board Ordrs No.E(NG)-II/2007/RR-l/38 dated 15th July 2014

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Railwaymen Call off Strike after Cadre Restructuring, 78 days Bonus & 7th CPC

Railwaymen Call off Strike after Cadre Restructuring, 78 days Bonus & 7th CPC

Railwaymen call off strike after board accepted their demands

AHMEDABAD: The strike call given by the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen and Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh was withdrawn till the December working committee meeting after the railway board recently accepted all the major demands of the unions.

On Tuesdays, the railways also accepted the last major demand for cadre restructuring. Vice -president of NFIR and WRMS J G Mahurkuar said that the unions were demanding implementation of recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, cadre restructuring and also productivity-linked bonus for the 3.5 lakh employees.

Mahurkar said that recently the government announced accepting the pay commission suggestions and also declared 78 days productivity-linked bonus. He said that railwaymen had decided to go on a strike to press for their demand. "But since all major demands have been accepted, we have deferred the decision of strike till the committee meets again in December. For the time being we have called off the strike."

He said that the cadre restructuring will benefit 3.5 lakh employees of the railways who would be promoted. He said that this was a long-pending demand and a committee was also. Finally on Tuesday, the government accepted the last demand. He further said that with the restructuring there would lead to increase in the number of vacancies for the higher cadre, while the same in lower cadre would decrease.

Source: TOI

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Salient Features of New All India Time Table ‘Trains at A Glance’ New Time Table Comes into Effect From 1st July 2013

Salient Features of New All India Time Table ‘Trains at A Glance’ New Time Table Comes into Effect From 1st July 2013 


The Ministry of Railways has released its new All India Railway Time Table known as “TRAINS AT A GLANCE (TAG)” which has come into effect from 1st July, 2013.  In addition to the “Trains at a Glance”, all the 17 Zonal Railways to release their Zonal Railway Time Tables which will come into effect from 1st July, 2013.   Passengers are advised to refer to the new timings  w.e.f. 1st July 2013 before starting the journey.  The new Trains at a Glance will also be shortly uploaded on Railways’ official website i.e. www.indianrailways.gov.in.

The salient features of Trains at a Glance-2013 are as under:

1.      Encouraged by the public response over the past few years all the user-friendly features of Trains at a Glance viz. how to read a table, route map, station index,  trains between important stations,  station code index, Train number index,  Train name index, has been retained.

2.      Commercial information of passenger use and interest viz. advance reservation period, reservation through internet, Tatkal scheme, Refund rules and rail travel concessions have been suitably updated.

3.      Information regarding Vigilance organization, Public grievance machinery, disaster management and catering services have been incorporated.

4.      Railway Budget 2013-14 announcements: The Mail/Express services (introduction, extension and increase in frequency of the existing services) that have been  announced  in the Railway Budget/announced in the Parliament have been incorporated in the new Trains at a Glance are as under:

Name of service	No. of services
Introduction of new trains
Fully AC Express	6
Express Services	76
Extension
Express Services	42
Increase in frequency
Express Services	23

   Source : PIB

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