Government reverts to old recruitment system for railways, ends Unified IRMS Process
New Delhi: The Union Government has decided to revert to the pre-December 2019 recruitment system for the Indian Railways, scrapping the unified Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) process. Starting this year, railway officers will once again be recruited through two separate exams – the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and the Engineering Services Examination (ESE), both conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The Centre's Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) gave its approval to the Railway Ministry’s proposal on Saturday. This marks a major departure from the government’s earlier reform that merged eight railway services into a single entity, the IRMS. The 2019 reform aimed at eliminating departmentalism within Indian Railways and streamlining recruitment by bringing both technical and non-technical officers under one unified exam.
However, over the last two years, the ministry struggled to recruit enough technical personnel through the IRMS process, prompting this reversal. Officials said that the decision reflects the unique requirement of having both technical and non-technical expertise in the railways.
The Railway Ministry has requested the recruitment of 225 engineers through the upcoming Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025, with applications to be invited soon. This new approach will allow for specialized recruitment, addressing the specific needs of the railways for both technical and managerial roles.
Earlier, under the IRMS system, candidates from different backgrounds were assessed through a single examination, but the shift back to two separate exams will now enable more focused hiring.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
