New Delhi: In a significant policy decision affecting railway personnel, the Railway Board has barred Group C employees from proceeding on deputation to ex-cadre posts under state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations, including their public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, statutory bodies, universities and local bodies.
The directive has been communicated to senior railway authorities across Indian Railways, directing them to ensure strict compliance with the revised instructions.
The decision changes the existing deputation framework for Group C railway employees seeking assignments outside their regular railway cadre in state government and UT establishments.
What Has the Railway Board Directed?
According to the circular, Group C railway employees will no longer be permitted to take up deputation to ex-cadre posts under state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The restriction also covers deputation to organisations associated with these governments and administrations, including state and UT public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, statutory bodies, universities and local bodies.
This means Group C railway employees seeking deputation to such establishments will not be eligible for consideration under the revised instructions.
The directive specifically concerns deputation to ex-cadre posts under state governments and UT administrations and the categories of organisations identified in the circular.
It should not be interpreted as a blanket prohibition on every form of deputation available to Group C railway employees, including assignments under the Central Government or other categories not covered by the stated restriction.
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Circular Sent to All Railway Zones and Production Units
The Railway Board has issued the directive to General Managers and Principal Financial Advisers of all Indian Railways and production units.
The communication also covers the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), which performs research, design and standardisation functions for Indian Railways.
By circulating the instructions across railway establishments, the Board has sought to ensure uniform implementation of the revised deputation policy.
Railway authorities are expected to follow the new restriction while processing deputation proposals involving Group C employees.
Decision Follows DoPT Memorandum of September 2024
The Railway Board has linked its decision to an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on September 24, 2024.
The memorandum concerns the deputation of Group C railway employees to ex-cadre posts under state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The Railway Board’s latest circular brings the applicable railway instructions into line with the position communicated through the DoPT memorandum.
The DoPT is the Central Government’s nodal department for personnel policies and service-related administrative instructions.
How Does the Decision Change Existing Deputation Guidelines?
The latest directive modifies the existing framework governing deputation of railway personnel to ex-cadre posts.
The Railway Board has referred to the DoPT’s consolidated deputation guidelines issued in June 2010, which were adopted by the Board during the same year.
Those instructions formed part of the administrative framework governing deputation arrangements and were subsequently amended from time to time.
The new restriction must therefore be read alongside the existing deputation instructions, with the specific prohibition applying to Group C employees seeking ex-cadre appointments under state governments, UT administrations and their specified organisations.
The circular does not, on the information available, establish that all other provisions of the earlier deputation framework have been withdrawn.
What Are Ex-Cadre Deputation Posts?
An ex-cadre post is a position outside an employee’s regular service cadre or organisational establishment.
Deputation generally allows an employee to serve temporarily in another department or organisation while retaining a service relationship with the parent department, subject to the applicable rules and approvals.
For railway employees, such arrangements can provide opportunities to work in other government departments or public institutions.
Under the latest instructions, however, Group C railway employees will not be permitted to pursue the specified ex-cadre deputation assignments under state and UT establishments.
What Does the New Restriction Mean for Railway Employees?
The decision directly affects Group C railway personnel who may have been considering deputation opportunities in state government departments, UT administrations or the organisations covered by the circular.
Such employees will now face a specific restriction on deputation to these establishments, regardless of whether the proposed assignment is in a government department, public sector undertaking, autonomous body, statutory institution, university or local body falling within the directive’s scope.
The instructions also provide a clearer framework for railway administrations when examining requests for deputation to the affected organisations.
However, the information provided does not specify whether the restriction affects employees already serving on approved deputation or how applications submitted before the circular will be treated. Those questions would depend on the detailed provisions of the order and any subsequent clarification.
Railway Board Seeks Uniform Compliance
With the latest directive, the Railway Board has established a specific restriction on the movement of Group C railway employees to ex-cadre assignments under state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The decision draws on the DoPT’s September 24, 2024 memorandum and the broader deputation framework originating from the consolidated guidelines of June 2010.
The instructions have been circulated across Indian Railways and production units to ensure that the revised restriction is followed consistently while considering future deputation proposals.
