The Railway Ministry has advised its zones to focus on staff training and fill faculty vacancies, as it took note of recent reports of parliamentary committees on safety issues that flagged gaps in periodic induction, refresher and promotional training of personnel.
The ministry, while referring to the reports, said the lack of advanced training of railway employees and a large number of vacancies in training institutes are potentially jeopardising the safety of train movement.
Acting on the recommendations of the parliamentary committees, the ministry wrote to all railway zones, saying that developing an efficient, safety-oriented workforce aligned with future technological requirements is of utmost importance.
“It is therefore advised that a robust mechanism be established to effectively monitor training at the induction, refresher, and promotional stages, ensuring that no staff at the field or supervisory level misses the mandatory training at any stage and that all related training data are comprehensively recorded,” the letter said. “Further, necessary steps may be taken to ensure that all sanctioned faculty positions across various training institutes are duly filled,” it added.
The ministry said the Public Accounts Committee on “Derailment in Indian Railways” and the Standing Committee on Railways in their reports have observed gaps in periodic induction, refresher and promotional training.
It added that these committees also noted that many staff, both at the field level as well as supervisory level, have not undergone the mandatory training, thereby potentially jeopardising the safety of train movement.
The committees also flagged a large number of vacancies at training institutes and that funds allocated for training are not being fully utilised, the ministry’s letter said.
“The matter has been reviewed, and it has been observed that Indian Railways is currently undergoing a critical transition phase marked by the adoption of new technologies and modernisation initiatives,” the ministry observed.
It suggested an effective system to be put in place to dynamically track the allocation and monthly utilisation of training funds to ensure their optimal use.
“As training is an essential component of service conditions and is vital for maintaining operational safety and efficiency, Zonal Railways and Production Units are requested to take necessary action for effective implementation of the above recommendations positively,” the ministry added.
