Indian Railway Accounts Service
Encyclopedia
The Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) (Hindi: भारतीय रेल लेखा सेवा Bharatiya Rail Lekha Seva ) is a Group A Central Service of the Government of India. The officers of this service are responsible for Accounts and Finance Management of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

. About 10-15 IRAS officers are recruited every year through a rigorous civil services examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...

. At present, the IRAS cadre has a strength of about 550 officers.

History of IRAS

It was in the historic year of 1921, when the recommendation of the Acworth Committee ratified through the Resolution for separation in 1924 when for the first time the Indian Railway finances were separated from the General Finances. This segregation of Railway Finances together with acceptance in principle at least of the responsibility for the direct operation of its Railways was a watershed moment in the history of Railway Account Service, as it was for the Railways as a whole.

The growth and genesis of the service can be traced to this historic Acworth Committee and becomes evident from these significant recommendations which are quoted below:

" We recommend that the Finance Department should cease to control the internal finances of the Railways; that the Railways should have a separate Budget of their own, be responsible for earning and expending their own income and for providing such net revenues as is required to meet the interest on debt incurred on or to be incurred by the Government for Railways purposes; and that the Railways Budget should be presented to the Legislative Assembly not by the Finance minister of the council but by the member in charge of the Railways." (Paras 74, 76 and 127 of the Acworth Committee report)

" We recommend, that subject to independent audit by Government of India, the Railways Department should employ its own accounting staff and be responsible for its own accounts. We think that the present account and statistics should be thoroughly overhauled and remodeled with the assistance of experts familiar with recent practices in other countries." (Paras 129-134 of Acworth Committee Report)

" We recommend that greater facilities should be provided for training Indians for the superior posts in Railway service and that the process of their employment in such posts should be accelerated." (Paras 182-184 of Acworth Committee Report)

It further goes on to recommend that the "title of Railway Board be replaced by the title of Railway Commission and that under the member of Council for Communications there should be 4 commissioners and that out of the 4, one should be in charge of Finance and the organization ..."

With these recommendations not only was the segregation of Railway Finance clearly established, but the office of the Financial Commissioner was envisaged in an embryonic manner, and accordingly, the first Financial Commissioner was appointed on 1 April 1923. The necessity of such an appointment was thus emphasized by the Acworth Committee, The large financial responsibility of the department being perhaps sufficient justification in itself for the addition to the organization of a member competent to advise on the questions of great financial magnitude.

The need for a new service was reinforced by yet another recommendation of the Acworth Committee which was with regard to the Railway Department having its own accounting staff and being responsible for its accounts, subject to an independent audit by the Auditor General of India
Comptroller and Auditor General of India
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India, who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government. The CAG is...

.

With the post of Financial Commissioner firmly in place, the requirement for an organisational set up with staff became imminent, and the ground was clearly laid for the growth of a new service which would henceforth meet the burgeoning needs of the growingly autonomous finance department of Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

.

Consequently, it was just a matter of time before new service would gently disengage itself from the shackles of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and the embryonic growth of a new service would announce itself.

The process was now set in motion and in the late 1920s, the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 decided to from a new Class I central service, viz IRAS, which would occupy top ranks of the Railway Accounts Department gradually replacing Indian Audit and Accounts Service officers.

Accordingly, from 1 April 1929, the responsibility for the compilation of accounts for the Railways was taken over by the Financial Commissioner, Railways from the Auditor General. The Accounts organisation was thus brought under the control of the Financial Commissioner, Railways, and the Indian Railway Accounts Service was constituted simultaneously.

However, every process of birth has its hiccups, though technically it was intended that from 1929, recruitment should be for the new IRAS service, procedural formalities delayed this recruitment and so 2 officers of 1929 batch who were recruited for the Indian Audit and Accounts Service were "permanently seconded" to the IRAS. Accordingly, for the first time two officers, Mr Apjit Singh & Mr N C Deb joined the service. It was only in 1930 that two officers, Mr C T Venugopal and Mr D P Mathur, were recruited "directly" for the first time. The onward march of the service had clearly begun.

The closing years of the 1950s and the fore part of 1960s remain perhaps the most memorable for the chronicler of IRAS in many ways. The cadre burgeoned by more than 50 in just three years. Massive investments in the second Five Year Plan provided a windfall for Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

, with the inevitable challenge to finance management. Cadre management came to occupy the attention of the top brass. Modernisation of accounting work with mainframe computers also began in this period. The service continued to wade through these tumultuous waters through the 1960s and 1970s.

During 1990s, the position of Indian Railway Finances deteriorated as the organisation hitherto had been working more for fulfilment of social obligations of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 like providing employment, affordable and subsidised transport to the common public etc. The Rakesh Mohan Committee report in 2001 on Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

 Finances observed thus ...

The Indian Railways (IR) has been a vital component of the social, political and economic life of the country. IR's transportation network has played a key role in weaving India into a nation. This network has not only integrated markets but also people across the length and breadth of this huge country. IR's role in times of war and natural calamities has also been commendable: it has always risen to the occasion and transported men and materials in large numbers at short notice. It is because of these reasons that IR is one of the foremost institutions of the country today. At the same time, because of a series of developments in the 1990s, IR is today on the verge of a financial crisis. Urgent action is needed to revitalise it so that it can continue to serve the nation.

... These tendencies became accentuated in the 1990s and the economics of IR are now extremely vulnerable. For first time in 17 years last year IR was not able to pay a dividend to the government on its past investment. It is in financial crisis. Its ability to invest adequately in providing efficient and cost competitive services in the future is seriously in question. Thus IR is in a watershed period in its history today and therefore drastic action needs to be taken in a number of areas to make this august organisation the country's pride once again.

The officers of IRAS along with the executives responded to the challenges and within a short period of 5–6 years, Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

 was a financially vibrant organisation. In the year 2007-08, Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

 had a cash surplus of 250 billion rupees.

Recently, Finance department of Railways has embarked upon computerising its whole accounting and finance functions by implementing a customised software called AFRES (Advance Finance Railway Earning & Expenditure System).

Firsts in IRAS -
First IRAS Officer Mr C T Venugopal, IRAS, 1930
First IRAS Financial Commissioner Mr K S Bhandari, IRAS, 1939
First IRAS officer secretary to Government of India Mr Y T Shah, IRAS, 1944
First IRAS General Manager Mr R Narsimhan, IRAS, 1955
First Lady IRAS Officer Mrs Priya Prakash, IRAS, 1957
First Lady IRAS Financial Commissioner(Railways) Mrs Vijayalakshmi Viswanathan, IRAS, 1967
First lady IRAS officer to be appointed as Secretary to the Govt of India Mrs Usha Mathur, IRAS

Recruitment and Training

The recruitment to the cadre is done through the Civil Services Examination
Civil Services Examination
The Civil Services Examination is a nationwide competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to the various Civil Services of the Government of India, including Indian Administrative Service , Indian Foreign Service , Indian Police Service and...

 which is conducted by Union Public Service Commission
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...

 of India every year. The Union Public Service Commission
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...

 selects top and middle level bureaucrats through this examination who work for the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

. This examination is conducted in three stages viz preliminary examination, Mains examination and Interview. Only a few hundred of the candidates are selected each year out of about 400 thousand aspirants who take the exam. The candidates through this examination are selected for various top level bureaucratic services for Indian Government including Indian Administrative Service
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....

 and Indian Police Service
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...

.

After selection through the Civil Services Examinations of the Union Public Service Commission
Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...

, the probationers of Indian Railway Accounts Service are required to undergo a two year training programme before induction into service on various railway zones.

The two year training program includes classroom training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is a research and training institute on public policy and public administration in India...

 Mussoorie, National Institute of Financial Management Faridabad , Railway Staff College
Railway Staff College
The Railway Staff College is the management training institute for the officers of the Indian Railways. The college trains not only newly appointed officers but also senior managers and executives...

 Vadodara and specialised training institutes, as well as field training on zonal railways, divisions, construction organisations and manufacturing units of the Indian Railways.

Recently, Railway Board has entered into an agreement with Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is an institute of management located in Kolkata , India giving diplomas in management...

 for a 12 week executive general management programme as a part of regular training of IRAS probationers. The general management programme covers topics in economics, human resource management, management information systems, public policy, behavioural sciences, operations management, marketing, ethics, finance and accounting and strategic management. The training programme also includes sessions with industry experts and visits to various industries.

Role and Function

The Finance and Accounts functions are integrated with the executive at all levels in the Railways. At the apex level of policy formulation, the Financial Commissioner, Railways, assisted by Additional Member (Finance), Additional Member (Budget), Adviser (Finance) and Adviser (Accounting Reforms) in–charge of Budgeting, Expenditure, Earnings, Accounting and Accounting Development/Reforms, is there to aid and guide the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board). At the Zonal level, the General Manager is aided by the Financial Adviser and Chief Accounts Officer along with his assistants. At the Divisional level, which is only an administrative unit of a Zonal Railway, an identical arrangement exists to assist the Divisional Railway Manager in finance and accounts matters. Besides the major production units and workshops, be they manufacturing units or repair and maintenance units, have an inbuilt system of associate finance and accounts. The stores organisation, which is responsible for procurement of stores and materials worth thousands of crores of rupees, is again assisted by Finance & Accounts. In short, there is hardly any sphere of railway activity with which the Accounts and Finance organisation is not directly associated in the decision-making process. In addition, officers of the Service also occupy management posts such as Divisional Railway Managers, Additional General Managers etc.

IRAS cadre of Indian Railways is responsible for the Finance and Accounting functions of the Railways. Core functions of this cadre include maintenance of accounts of Indian Railways and Financial Advice to the executive. At the zonal level, IRAS officers are designated as Financial Advisor and Chief Account Officers while at the Division level, they are Divisional Finance Managers.
Budget Management, Expenditure Control, Earnings Accountal, Financial scrutiny of various executive proposals are some of the functions performed by IRAS officers. Every expenditure in Indian Railways has to pass through Financial scrutiny. The IRAS cadre exercises substantial control over the affairs of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

.

Officers of Indian Railway Accounts Service serve in various government ministries on deputation as Deputy Secretary/Director, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary. They are also sent to various Public Sector undertakings on deputation to hold finance portfolios.

Organisation

At the Apex level, the Financial Commissioner for Railways represents the Ministry of Finance on the Railway Board and also functions ex-officio as Secretary to Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 in the Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Railways may refer to:* Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways...

 in financial matters. In this capacity, he is vested with full powers to sanction Railway expenditure subject to the general control of the Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...

. He has direct contact with the Finance Minister whom he keeps informed of developments in the Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Railways may refer to:* Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways...

.

Financial Commissioners on Indian Railways

Name From To
Mr Harish Aggarwal From Devrala,Tosham. 01.04.1923 06.03.1926
Sir Alan Parsons 03.04.1926 08.04.1932
Sir P Raghavendra Rao 09.04.1932 08.04.1937
Sir B M Staig 09.04.1937 26.10.1941
Sir T S Shankara Aiyar 27.10.1941 15.09.1943
Mr Zahid Hussain 01.10.1943 30.06.1945
Mr A C Turner 30.06.1945 26.04.1947
Shri I S Puri 27.04.1947 23.02.1949
Shri A K Chanda 14.05.1949 13.11.1952
Shri P C Bhattacharyya 25.12.1952 31.10.1955
Shri J Dayal 31.10.1955 31.05.1960
Shri S Jagannathan 01.06.1960 16.11.1966
Shri B Mukherji 17.11.1966 21.02.1969
Shri K S SundaraRajan 24.03.1969 30.11.1973
Shri K S Bhandari 30.11.1973 31.12.1975
Shri P N Jain 01.05.1976 09.09.1980
Shri A V Poulose 29.12.1980 30.04.1984
Shri C Venkataraman 01.05.1984 31.10.1985
Shri S Ramaswamy 18.01.1986 03.03.1987
Shri S K Mitra 09.06.1987 31.01.1991
Shri N Radhakrishnan 22.02.1991 31.03.1992
Shri C S Anand 01.04.1992 31.07.1993
Shri Hasan Iqbal 12.08.1993 31.07.1994
Shri V Sivakumaran 23.08.1995 31.08.1997
Shri P V Vasudevan 01.09.1997 30.09.2000
Shri N P Srivastava 01.10.2000 31.01.2001
Shri P Rajagopalan 01.02.2001 31.07.2001
Shri S Murali 01.08.2001 31.10.2002
Aman Jindal Devralia 12.09.2011

See also

  • Indian Railways
    Indian Railways
    Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

  • Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian Railways
    Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian Railways
    The Indian Railways is the largest civilian employer in the world at approximately 1.6 million employees. 1200 officers form the line and staff management organisation...

  • Indian Railway Organisational Structure
    Indian Railway organisational structure
    The Indian Railways is organised broadly by functional groups of Indian Railway Service. This is traditionally how the co-operation is organised. The Indian Railways perhaps has been less adventurous in changing the structure; it has largely kept up what it got as a legacy since the British...


External links

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