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Government of India Ministry of Railways Railway Board

********

No.2002/SCC/3/1

Rail Bhavan, New Delhi Dated : 3.6.2002

General Managers, All Indian Railways including Production Units. Director Generals, RDSO & RSC. OSDs/New Zones. CAOs, DCW & COFMOW.

The Director, IRISET/Hyderabad, IRICEN/Pune, IRIEEN, Nasik, IRIMEE/Jamalpur

Sub: Procedure for promotion to administrative grades in Railway services

Ministry of Railways have reviewed the present procedure to be observed by Departmental Promotion Committees in case of promotions to various administrative grades for various services and have decided as under:-

1. Full Board shall function as Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for finalizing the select lists to all administrative grades on the Railways except for HAG, for which provisions of Resolution published vide E(O)III-93/PM/50 dated 28.3.2000 shall apply. Proceedings of the DPC shall be legally valid and can be acted upon notwithstanding the absence of any of its members other than the Chairman and each time DPC meets, it can decide its own method and procedure for objective assessment of the suitability of the candidates. These broad guidelines are issued in order to ensure greater selectivity and for having uniform procedure.

2. Hereafter, all promotions to administrative grades shall be by selection only and the element of selectivity (higher or lower) shall be determined with reference to the relevant benchmark prescribed for promotion.

3. The zone of consideration for the purpose of determining the number of officers to be considered out of eligible officers in the feeder grade (s) shall be twice the number of vacancies plus four. However, in case of only one vacancy, the number of officers to be considered shall be five. With regard to the number of officers to be included in the select list, the

DPC may assess the suitability of eligible officers in the descending order for promotion upto a number adequate for filling up the number of vacancies. In respect of remaining officer, the DPC may put up a note in the minutes that the assessment of the remaining officers in the zone of consideration is not available. However, for organized services etc., the present practice is to consider preparation of select list batch-wise and this shall continue.

4. While merit has to be recognized and rewarded, advancement in an officer s career should not be regarded as a matter of course, but should be earned by dint of hard work, good conduct and result-oriented performance and potential for shouldering higher responsibilities, as reflected in the Annual Confidential Reports, and it should be based on a strict and rigorous selection process.

5. In promotions upto posts which carry an ultimate salary of Rs.5700/-p.m. (P.R.) SC/ST officers, who are senior enough in the zone of consideration for promotion so as to be within the number of vacancies for which the select list has to be drawn up, would be included in that list provided they are not considered unfit for promotion.

1.

Confidential Reports are the basic inputs on the basis of which assessment is to be made by the DPC. The DPC will assess the suitability of the officers for promotion on the basis of their service records and with particular reference to the five preceding years.

7. Where one or more CRs have not been written for a sufficient reason for a particular period, the CRs of the years preceding the period in question, would be considered. If this is not possible, all the available CRs should be taken into account.

8. Where an officer is working against a higher grade and has earned CRs in that grade, his CRs in that grade would be considered by DPC only as an assessment of his work, conduct and performance and no extra weightage should given merely on the ground that he has been officiating in the higher grade.

9. The DPC would not be guided merely by the grading, if any, recorded in the ACRs but should make its own assessment on the basis of the entries in the ACRs, including the various parameters and attributes. The Committee shall also take into account whether the officer has been awarded any major or minor penalty or whether any displeasure of any superior officer or authority has been conveyed to him, as reflected in the ACRs. The DPC should also have regard to the remarks on the columns of integrity.

10. The grading in the ACR represent the assessment of the superior officers during a particular year s performance in general. The overall grading to be assigned by the DPC shall encompass several years performance and not merely relate with the entries/assessment recorded in the ACRs. It shall be borne in mind that the grading by DPC and in the ACR represent assessment of the officer by two distinct authorities for two different purposes.

11. DPC shall, considering the various factors, assign an overall grading for each of the officer. The grading shall be one among, Outstanding , Very Good+ , Very Good , Good and Unfit .

12.

The benchmark for promotion to various grades shall be as under:-

(a) (b) (c)

From Senior Scale to JAG/SG SAG HAG

: : :

Good Very Good Very Good+

Stringent criteria of selection shall apply for promotion to HAG.

2.

While any performance below the benchmark shall not be termed as adverse in respect of an officer, it is only performance above average and is really noteworthy, entitle an officer recognition and suitable rewards in the matter of promotion. For any public servant and more so in higher positions of responsibility, it is expected that he will discharge his duties and responsibilities with best of his capabilities at all times and is not only that in order to achieve some gains in the matter of promotion etc., he would regulate the quality of his performance to that level.

14. DPC shall, for promotion to administrative grades, grade officers as fit or unfit only with reference to the benchmark mentioned above. Only those who are graded as fit shall be included in the select panel prepared by the DPC in order of their inter-se seniority in the feeder grade. There shall be no supersession in the matter of selection (merit) promotion among those who are found fit by the DPC in terms of the prescribed benchmark.

15. The recommendations of the DPC are advisory in nature and should be duly approved by the appointing authority and where the posts fall within the purview of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), approval of ACC shall also be obtained.

16. The supersedes Board s letter Nos. 89/289-B/Secy./Admn. Dt. 26.9.89, 90/289-B/Secy./Admn. Dt. 6.4.90 and 91/289-B/Secy./Admn. Dated 19.2.91.

17.

Please acknowledge receipt.

(S. Regunathan) Joint Secretary (C) Railway Board

Government of India Ministry of Railways Railway Board

No.E(O)III-93/PM/50

Rail Bhavan, New Delhi-1100 001 dated 28.3.2000

RESOLUTION

The Government of India have had under consideration the question of laying down principles and procedure for making appointment to the posts in scale Rs.22,400-24,500/- in various Group A Railway Services under the Ministry of Railways. It has been decided that the method and eligibility criteria for the purpose of selection of officers for these posts will be as laid down hereunder:-

2.

Method

Service-wise panels for appointment to the posts in scale Rs.22,400-24,500/- in the Zonal Railways/Production Units/Railway Board/RDSO etc. shall be prepared by the Selection Committee consisting of Chairman, Railway Board as Chairman, Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Personnel & Training and functional Member-incharge, Railway Board (or Member Staff, Railway Board when Chairman, Railway Board is also the functional Member), as Members. The Selection Committee may also recommend the specific type/types of assignments for which a particular officer mentioned in the panel may be considered suitable. The panel, as prepared by the Selection Committee, and duly approved by the Ministry of Railways, shall be submitted for approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and after approval specific postings will be ordered by the Ministry of Railways.

3.

Eligibility Criteria

(a) Officers to be considered for empanelment should have worked in Senior Administrative Grade for a minimum period of 5 years on regular basis and should be less than 59 years of age on the 1st July of the year for which the panel is made as referred to in Para 4 of this Resolution.

(b) Only such of the empanelled officers would be appointed to these posts who had a year or more of service left on the date of occurrence of vacancy falling in their turn.

4.

Periodicity of meeting of Selection Committee and the panel year

The Selection Committee shall normally meet once a year at a suitable time after 1st April as soon as the Confidential Reports for the year ending March of that year are available for consideration. It may meet at intervals of less than a year, if the circumstances so require. It will draw up a panel of names for appointment to the existing and anticipated vacancies in posts in scale Rs.22,400-24,500 during the period from 1st July of the year to the 30th June of the next year.

5.

Relaxation

Any of the above mentioned provisions may, if considered expedient in the public interest, be relaxed to the extent necessary, in consultation with the Department of Personnel & Training. Any such relaxation shall be specifically brought to the notice of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

6.

Interpretation

All questions of doubt regarding the interpretation shall be decided by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) in consultation with the Department of Personnel and Training.

ORDER

Ordered that a copy of the Resolution be circulated among the members of various Group A Railway services.

Ordered also that the Resolution be published in the Gazette of India for general information.

(D.P. Tripathi) Secretary, Railway Board & Ex-Officio Additional Secretary

to the Government of India The Manager Government of India Press, Mayapuri Ring Road New Delhi

(To be published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary Part-1, Section-1)

Reg:- General Managers/equivalent Panel

Empanelment and appointment to the posts of General Managers/equivalent on the Railways are governed by the various provisions in the Scheme notified vide Resolution dated 16.7.1986 as amended from time to time (F/A). According to the Scheme, a panel is prepared every year for vacancies during the period 1st July of the year to 30th June of the next year. While recommending the panel, the specific type/types of assignments for which a particular officer in the panel is considered suitable is also indicated. The panel is approved by ACC. Appointment against specific vacancies is also made with the approval of ACC. Thus, ACC s approval is taken both at the time of empanelment and at the time of appointment.

To be eligible for consideration for empanelment, an officer should have 2 years of balance service on the 1st July of the year in which the panel is made. For appointment also, an empanelled officer should have 2 years of balance service. However, the requirement of 2 years for appointment is reckoned from the date of occurrence of the vacancy falling in turn of an officer for which he is cleared in the panel (Paras 7.2 and 7.3)

While many officers having 2 years service as on 1st July of the panel year get empanelled, they may not actually get appointed to the posts of General Managers, as by the time a vacancy arises in their turn, they have left with less than 2 years service and thus become ineligible. Also, all those empanelled are not necessarily cleared for appointment against various types of assignments. For example, some of them, though senior, may be cleared only for the post of DG/RSC or DG/RDSO. They can be considered for appointment only against these vacancies and not against a vacancy of GM (OL) or GM (PU).

There is also a ceiling that not more than 37.5% of the posts of GMs/equivalent can be held by officer of any particular service at a time (explanation 1 under para 8). This ceiling is at present 9 posts. It 9 posts of GMs are already held by officers of a particular service, no more officers from this service can be appointed even if they are senior in the panel.

Sometimes, it becomes necessary to pick up a suitable officer of a particular service, who may be several places below in the panel, for posting as General Manager ahead of his normal turn as a measure of career planning for the post of Member Railway Board corresponding to his discipline (Para 4.4 ).

It may also be necessary some times to overlook an officer on the panel for posting as General Manager in view of any unsatisfactory performance or action subsequent to his empanelment (Para 4.4(a)

In view of the above and also to provide equitable opportunities, as far as possible, to eligible officers of various Railway Services in the matter of empanelment and appointment as General Managers, the GMs panel has always been drawn up batch-wise and approved by ACC regardless the number of actual vacancies.

The directions of ACC as contained in DOP&T s letter No.23(48)EO/96(ACC) dated 3rd Feb 1997 (F/B) relate to the empanelment of officers to posts in grade Rs.7300-7600 (pre revised) in individual Railway Services, which is governed by separate norms.

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

No. ERB-I/87/11/1

New Delhi : February 16, 1987

Resolution

Sub: Tenure linked norms for filling up of the post of Members of the Railway Board, Financial Commissioner, Railways, and Chairman, Railway Board.

The Government of India have reviewed the policy of appointment to the posts of Members, Railway Board & exofficio Secretaries to Government of India, Financial Commissioner, Railways & ex-officio Secretary to Government of India and Chairman, Railway Board & ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India, from the point of view of avoiding

unduly short tenures and thus in the interests of smooth and efficient running of the Railway system. The Government have accordingly decided that the following tenure linked norms may be followed while filling up of these posts :-

(i) Officer s to be considered for the posts of Members of the Railway Board (including Financial Commissioner, Railways) (a) should normally have a balance tenure of service of two years or more from the date of occurrence of the vacancy; and (b) should normally have worked for a period of one year in the grade preceding that of Member, Railway Board/Financial Commissioner, Railways

Note In the context of the above, the preceding grade for Members of the Railway Board (other than Financial Commissioner, Railways) would be that of General Manager (Open Line) on the Railways and for the post of Financial Commissioner, Railways, the preceding grade would be the post of Adviser (Finance), Railway Board, in grade Rs.3,000/per month (Fixed) or any other post in the Government of India at this level or higher. (ii) The officers to be considered for the post of Chairman, Railway Board, should normally have a minimum tenure of two years as Member, Railway Board, and/or Chairman, Railway Board, including at least one year as Chairman, Railway Board

2. These norms will be observed in relation to vacancies of Members of Railway Board, Financial Commissioner, Railways and Chairman, Railway Board, arising from 1.4.1987 onwards and will be taken into account with immediate effect while considering the candidates for filling up the relevant lower posts.

ORDER :

Ordered that a copy of the Resolution be circulated. Ordered also that the Resolution be published in the Gazette of India for general information.

(Prakash Narain) Chairman, Railway Board & Ex-officio Principal Secretary Government of India

Ministry of Railways

The Manager, Government of India Press Mayapuri, Ring Road New Delhi

(TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY PART 1, SECTION 1)