IRMS officer Satish Kumar becomes first Dalit chairman of Railway Board
New Delhi (PTI): Indian Railway Management Service officer Satish Kumar has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, officials said Tuesday.
This makes him the first chairman and CEO from the Scheduled Castes in the board's history, senior officials of the Railway Board said.
Jaya Varma Sinha, who is the current chairperson and CEO of the board, is superannuating on August 31 and Kumar's appointment will be effective from September 1.
"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board," a government order said.
It said his appointment is in the apex pay scale (pay level 17 as per the 7th Central Pay Commission).
Kumar, a distinguished officer of the 1986 batch of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), has made significant contributions to Indian Railways throughout his illustrious career, spanning over 34 years, according to the Railway Board.
"On 8th November 2022, he took charge as the General Manager of North Central Railway, Prayagraj, marking another milestone in his journey of public service," an official from the Board said.
"His educational background is as impressive as his professional achievements; he holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, and has further enhanced his knowledge with a Post Graduate Diploma in Operation Management and Cyber Law from Indira Gandhi National Open University," he said.
Kumar began his career in Indian Railways in March 1988, and since then, he has served in various pivotal roles across different zones and divisions, bringing innovation, efficiency, and safety improvements to the railway system.
"His initial postings included the Jhansi Division of the erstwhile Central Railway and the Diesel Locomotive Works (BLW) in Varanasi, where he honed his skills in locomotive engineering and maintenance.
"He later served in the North Eastern Railway, Gorakhpur, and Patiala Locomotive Works, contributing to critical projects that enhanced the operational efficiency of these divisions,” a railway official said.
A significant contribution of Kumar is his work on the Fog Safe Device, an innovation that has proven to be instrumental in ensuring safe train operations during foggy conditions, he said.
"This device has become a critical tool for Indian Railways, significantly reducing the risks associated with reduced visibility during the winter months, particularly in the northern regions of India," he added.
According to Railway officials, Kumar's efforts in improving this technology have earned him recognition and appreciation from various quarters.
From April 2017 to April 2019, Kumar served as the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Lucknow Division on Northern Railway.
Before he was appointed the General Manager of North Central Railway, Kumar served as the Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Vigilance Officer of North Western Railway, Jaipur.
"In recognition of his vast experience and contributions to Indian Railways, Satish Kumar was recently appointed as the Member (Traction and Rolling Stock - MTRS), a key position that oversees the critical aspects of traction and rolling stock across Indian Railways,” another official from the Railway Board said.
"Following this, he ascended to the highest echelon of Indian Railways as the Chairman of the Railway Board, where he now plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the railway network in India," he added.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
