Govt is committed to maintaining, improving quality of services provided by Indian Railways: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Putting to rest any concerns or speculations about the privatization of the Indian Railways, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that the government is committed to maintaining and improving the quality of services of the Railways.
The Minister emphasized that the government is committed to maintaining and improving the quality of services provided by Indian Railways, which requires both recruiting new talent and engaging contractual workers as per the necessity.
Responding to a question raised by a Lok Sabha member during the session, Minister Vaishnaw clarified the government's stance on the matter, putting to rest any rumours and concerns among the public.
“There is no proposal to privatize the country's lifeline, Indian Railways,” the union minister told the Lower House.
Indian Railways, being one of the largest railway networks in the world, plays a crucial role in connecting the vast and diverse nation.
He also said that the indian Railways aims to provide transparency on the recruitment and employment practices within the organization.
“Its transportation services have been instrumental in ferrying millions of passengers and tonnes of freight across the country annually,” he added.
The Minister also provided important details related to the recruitment and employment status within the Indian Railways. He disclosed the empanelment numbers by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) for various Group 'C' posts, including Level 1 positions, from 2020 to 2023.
“In the fiscal year 2020-2021, 5450 candidates were empanelled. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, 4612 candidates were empanelled. In the fiscal year 2022-2023 (provisional data), a significant increase in empanelment was witnessed, with a total of 85,888 candidates securing positions,” Vaishnaw said.
He further said that in the current fiscal year 2023-2024 (up to 30th June 2023, provisional data), 50,885 candidates have been empanelled so far.
Furthermore, the Minister revealed the number of contractual workers engaged by the Railways during the same period.
“In the fiscal year 2020-2021, 4079 contractual workers were engaged. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, the number of contractual workers engaged rose to 8823. In the fiscal year 2022-2023 (provisional data), the number of contractual workers engaged was 5013,” he further said.(ANI)