As predicted by RailPost, Indian Railways has clarified that it will not be laying off people as suggested by certain media reports. Explaining its position on this issue, IR said, it had issued letters to its zones and production units to conduct a routine performance review.
This, it said was in accordance with its Establishment rules which laid down norms related to service conditions and pension rules adding that the exercise was routine in nature.
IR said that such exercises were done in previous years as well. IR observed that drawing an inference that it was compulsorily retiring a significant chunk of its staff under this exercise was without any substance.
It further stated that over 1.84 lakh employees under various categories had been recruited during the five year period 2014-19. IR added that the process of recruiting over 2.83 lakh employees was underway. Of this, exams for over 1.41 lakh posts had already been conducted with the process likely to be over in the next two months.
