Indian Railways Concludes Employment Process for 1.5 Lakh Posts, Announces Annual Recruitment Drive

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the successful completion of the employment process for 1.5 lakh posts within the Indian Railways, with the selection of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs) marking the initial phase. In a bid to create more employment opportunities, the railway ministry plans to conduct an annual recruitment process, addressing vacancies in various categories.

Vaishnaw emphasized the significance of the recently concluded employment drive, stating, “We have recently completed the employment process for one lakh fifty-thousand employees, and immediately after concluding that, we have started the new process from the selection of assistant Loco pilots (ALPs). This is the first step.”

Highlighting the railway’s vision, he outlined the shift towards an annual recruitment procedure. “There will be more employment opportunities in technical and non-technical popular categories in Group D. Instead of bunching everything together, our objective now is to have more employment. An annual recruitment process has been commenced so that more and more people can get opportunities,” Vaishnaw added.

Anil Kumar Khandelwal, General Manager of East Central Railway, provided insights into the ongoing recruitment process. “Railway has started a new recruitment process. The railway will create vacancies every year on a regular basis. Railway infrastructure and operations are increasing every year. The vacancies will be filled on a yearly basis in multiple categories. The recruitment of 5,696 ALP (assistant loco pilots) has already started in this direction as of January 20.”

Khandelwal emphasized the annual nature of the recruitment process, allowing candidates unsuccessful in the current year to reapply in the following year. He highlighted the positive shift from the previous practice of conducting recruitment once every three or four years, providing candidates with consistent opportunities to participate in the railway’s recruitment process.

With the issuance of the first notification for 5,696 loco pilots on January 20, the Indian Railways aims to not only address immediate staffing needs but also establish a sustainable and recurring framework for employment opportunities.