Lok Sabha Question No. 158 (STARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Vacancies in Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Bapi Haldar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 158

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.12.2025

## VACANCIES IN RAILWAYS

## *158. SHRI BAPI HALDAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  number  of  vacancies  currently  existing  in  the Railways  and  the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken  to  fill them;
- (b) whether any special provisions/concessions/relaxations are available for candidates from West Bengal during recruitment  and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the  total  number of recruitments made during the last ten years, State-wise particularly West Bengal?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 158 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 10.12.2025

(a)  to  (c):  Railways,  being  Central  Government  organization conduct  recruitment  on  all  India  basis.  This  is  in  line  with Constitutional provision of right to equality in matters of public employment.  Every  candidate  irrespective  of  gender,  language, place  of  birth,  region  etc.  fulfilling  eligibility  criteria  is  free  to apply. All those who apply in response to Centralised Employment Notifications (CENs), including local candidates are considered for recruitment on the Railways, on equal footing. No preference  is  given  to  candidates  belonging  to  any  State  or Region nor is the recruitment restricted to any State or Region.

The  RRB  examinations  are  quite  technical  in  nature  entailing large  scale  mobilization  of  men  and  resources  and  training  of manpower. Railway overcame all these challenges and successfully conducted the recruitment in a transparent manner following all laid down guidelines. No instance of paper leakage or similar malpractice has occurred during the entire process.

Recruitment done in Indian Railways during 2004-2005 to 20132014 vis-à-vis during 2014-2015 to 2024-2025 is given as under :-

| Period                 | Recruitments*   |
|------------------------|-----------------|
| 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 | 4.11 lakh       |
| 2014-2015 to 2024-2025 | 5.08 lakh       |

Further,  as  system  improvement,  the  Ministry  of  Railways  has introduced a system of publishing the annual calendar from 2024 for  recruitment  to  various  categories  of  Group  'C'  posts.  The introduction of the annual calendar is benefitting the aspirants in the following manner:

-  More opportunities for candidates;
-  Opportunities to those becoming eligible every year;
-  Certainty of exams;
-  Faster Recruitment process, Training and Appointments

As per Annual Calendar 2024 and 2025, recruitment of 1,20,579 vacancies has been taken up on Indian Railways including Zonal Railways and Production Units covering West Bengal.

During January to December 2024, ten Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) for 92,116 vacancies were notified for filling up  of  posts  of  Assistant  Loco  Pilots  (ALPs),  Technicians,  SubInspectors, Constables in Railway Protection Force (RPF), Junior Engineers (JEs)/ Depot Material Superintendent (DMS)/ Chemical &  Metallurgical  Assistant  (CMA),  Paramedical  Categories,  NonTechnical Popular Categories (Graduate), Non-Technical Popular Categories  (Under-Graduate),  Ministerial  &  Isolated  Categories and  Level-1  categories  such  as  Assistants,  Track  Maintainers and Pointsman.

First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests (CBTs) for 59,678 posts has been completed.  Details are as under:-

| Exam                                                                              | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages           |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|---------------------|
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)                             | 18,40,347    | 156      | 15                  |
| CBT for the post of Technician (14,298 vacancies)                                 | 26,99,892    | 139      | 15                  |
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies)                       | 11,01,266    | 146      | 15                  |
| CBT for the post of RPF-SI (452                                                   | 15,35,635    | 143      | 15                  |
| CBT for the post of RPF- Constable (4,208 vacancies)                              | 45,30,288    | 147      | 15                  |
| CBT for Paramedical Categories (1,376 vacancies)                                  | 7,08,321     | 143      | 15                  |
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non- Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies) | 58,41,774    | 141      | 15                  |
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under vacancies)             | 63,27,473    | 157      | Graduate) (3,445 15 |
| CBT for Ministerial & Isolated categories (1,036 vacancies)                       | 4,46,013     | 139      | 15                  |
| 2,50,31,009                                                                       |              |          | Total Candidates    |

2 nd   stage  CBTs  for  the  posts  of  ALP,  JE/DMS/CMA  and  NonTechnical Popular Categories (Graduate) have also been completed.  Details are as under: -

| Exam                                                                              | Candidates   | Cities   | Languages   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)                             | 2,66,363     | 112      | 15          |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies)                       | 1,17,339     | 118      | 15          |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for Non- Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies) | 1,21,931     | 129      | 15          |
| Total Candidates                                                                  | 5,05,633     |          |             |

Computer Based Aptitude  Test  (CBAT)  for  the  post  of  ALP  has also been completed. Details are as under:-

| Exam                                        | Candidates   |   Cities |   Languages |
|---------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| CBAT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies) | 1,32,044     |       84 |           2 |

CBT for 32,438 vacancies for level -1 categories has commenced from 27.11.2025 in 140 cities in 15 languages. Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for 4,208 vacancies of Constable (RPF) has commenced from 13.11.2025.

Panels for more than 23,000 candidates (including for the State of West Bengal) for various posts including the posts of Technicians,  Junior  Engineers,  Paramedical  Categories,  SubInspectors (RPF) and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised. Majority of them are in safety categories.

In  addition,  as  per  Annual  Calendar  for  the  year  2025,  seven Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) for 28,463 vacancies have also been issued. Details are as under:-

|   S. No. | CEN No.   | Post Name                                        | No. of Vacancies notified   | Month of Notification   |
|----------|-----------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------|
|        1 | 01/2025   | Assistant Loco Pilots                            | 9,970                       | March 2025              |
|        2 | 02/2025   | Technicians                                      | 6,238                       | June 2025               |
|        3 | 03/2025   | Para-Medical Categories                          | 434                         | July 2025               |
|        4 | 04/2025   | Section Controllers                              | 368                         | August 2025             |
|        5 | 05/2025   | Junior Engineers / Depot Material Superintendent | 2,585                       | October 2025            |

|   6 | 06/2025   | Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate)        | 5,810   | October 2025   |
|-----|-----------|----------------------------------------------------|---------|----------------|
|   7 | 07/2025   | Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under- Graduate) | 3,058   | October 2025   |

Following concessions/relaxations are allowed to different eligible categories of candidates in Railway recruitments irrespective of state and region:

## (i) Concessions/relaxations allowed to reserved community candidates

-  Age relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST and 3 years for OBC.
-  Travel facility (railway pass) to SC/ST candidates
-  Fee reimbursement for SC/ST candidates who appear in the Computer Based Test (CBT).
-  Lower qualifying  marks  in  CBT  (SC-30%,  ST-25%,  OBC30%) compared to UR candidates (40%) in L-2 and above posts.
-  Lower qualifying marks in CBT (SC/ST/OBC-30%) compared to UR candidates (40%) in L-1 posts.

## (ii) Concession/relaxation for women candidates

-  Fee reimbursement for all women  candidates  who appear in the CBT.
-  Age relaxation for widowed/divorced/judicially separated women.
-  Lower qualifying Standards for Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for  female  candidates  as  compared  to  male candidates.
- (iii) Concession/relaxation for other categories candidates
-  Ex-servicemen are given age-relaxation, exemption from Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and preferential quota.
-  Persons  with  Benchmark  Disabilities  (PwBD)  are  also given age relaxation, exemption from Physical Efficiency Test  (PET),  fee  is  reimbursed  for  those  who  appear  in the CBT and reservation in posts. Also they are given a relaxation  upto  2  marks  in  the  minimum  qualifying marks for each respective category. Facility of scribe is provided to eligible PwBD candidates.

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