Railway Minister claims to provide employment to 4 lakh people by 2021

NEW DELHI: Piyush Goyal, Railway Minister guaranteed the employment for over four lakh people by 2021 in the railways. This year, the recruitment under 10 per cent quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) would begin soon as per 103^rd Constitutional Amendment recently passed by the Parliament which initiates employment to 13,100 (EWS) and this cycle shall be completed by April-May, 2020.

The minister said that the Railways has already has approved the  strength of 15.06 lakh employees, where 12.23 lakh employees are on board while the remaining 2.82 lakh posts are vacant.

The recruitment process for over 1.51 lakh posts was undertaken last year, leaving 1.31 lakh posts vacant. And in the coming two years, about 99,000 posts would lie vacant as 53,000 and 46,000 railway employees would retire in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The recruitment for 2.3 lakh posts will be completed in the next two years, Goyal added. 

The minister informed that recruitment process of 1.31 lakh posts will be initiated in February-March, 2019 and around 19,715, 9,857 and 35,485 would be reserved for Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Classes, as per the government policy. The second phase of recruitment of approximately 99,000 personnel against the vacancies arising out of retirements shall be initiated in May-June 2020 and completed by July-August 2021. 

22 train services across the country will be extended this year and the decision was taken after the success of the services of the Gatimaan Express was extended upto Jhansi.