Indian Railway Personnel Service
Encyclopedia
The Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) is a cadre of the Group-A services of the Government of India
. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Human Resources
of the Indian Railways
which has a work force of about 1.4 million employees.
.The first recruitment to the cadre was done by UPSC in the year 1980.Prior to that some officers of sister cadres had joined the service on option basis. The present advisors are from such groups.The list of officers of this cadre can be seen in their web site http://www.irps.in.
The selection consisting of written and viva-voce test which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) of India
along with other Group A Services like IAS
and IPS
IRS
etc. The UPSC is responsible for recruiting middle and top-level bureaucrats for the Government of India.
The main functions and responsibility of Personnel Officers in the railway is to arrange recruitment, training of staff, promotion, demotion, transfers, disciplinary actions, retirement, settlement, selection etc. The personnel branch actually deals with the employee from the day he joins the service or even before which is not over even on his retirement.
Railways have the most powerful and influential union network with its close links with the political system at the national level in the country and handling these union so that the smooth operation of transportation is not affected is the responsibility of personnel officers. Negotiations and grievance handling at all levels form part of the job description.
Dealing with provisions of various laws and acts such as Industrial dispute Act, Factory Act, Workman Compensation Act, Payment of Wages, Minimum Wages and their implementation in the railways is another responsibility. The interpretation of rules and orders is also done in this branch.
All matters concerning the welfare of the staff such as provision of residential accommodation, canteens, holiday homes, consumer societies, schools, clubs, institutes, hospitals etc. also comes within its purview. Railway is one of the model employers with a large number of welfare measures being implemented to look after the staff and their families. Personnel officer is also the welfare officer in the railways.
Being responsible for the service, as well as personal issues of the employees, the personnel department works in close coordination with all other departments in the railways by functioning as consultant and adviser.
In a nutshell, most effective and efficient utilization of the vast human resource that railway have is entrusted to this department.
,Government of India,the Railway Board Member Staff is the highest level post, who also happens to be the Ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.Currently he is assisted by two Advisors, viz: Advisor(Staff) and Advisor(IR), who are in the rank of Additional Secretary.Below them are a group of Executive Directors,Directors,Joint Directors and Deputy Directors who work at Railway Board level.The present Member Staff is a non-IRPS officer.
Similarly at the 16 Zonal Railway level the HR department or Personnel department as they call in the railways,is headed by a Chief Personnel Officer or CPO.CPOs are also posted in the major production units/factoris of Indian Railways.
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...
. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Human Resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
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....
which has a work force of about 1.4 million employees.
Recruitment
The recruitment to the cadre is done through the Civil Services ExaminationCivil 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...
.The first recruitment to the cadre was done by UPSC in the year 1980.Prior to that some officers of sister cadres had joined the service on option basis. The present advisors are from such groups.The list of officers of this cadre can be seen in their web site http://www.irps.in.
The selection consisting of written and viva-voce test which is conducted by 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...
(UPSC) of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
along with other Group A Services like IAS
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 IPS
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...
IRS
Indian Revenue Service
The Indian Revenue Service , abbreviated as IRS, is the revenue service of the Government of India. It is a Central Civil Service...
etc. The UPSC is responsible for recruiting middle and top-level bureaucrats for the Government of India.
Role and Function
IRPS officers man the personnel department at Ministry, Zonal railway and divisional levels including the railway production units and workshops. While other services in the railway are concerned with the operational or material problems, the Personnel Service handles the human resource aspect. Importance of the service lies in looking at the problem not only from the government’s point of view but paying attention to the job oriented professional as well as personal needs of the employees as the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration mainly depends on the nature of personnel it has.The main functions and responsibility of Personnel Officers in the railway is to arrange recruitment, training of staff, promotion, demotion, transfers, disciplinary actions, retirement, settlement, selection etc. The personnel branch actually deals with the employee from the day he joins the service or even before which is not over even on his retirement.
Railways have the most powerful and influential union network with its close links with the political system at the national level in the country and handling these union so that the smooth operation of transportation is not affected is the responsibility of personnel officers. Negotiations and grievance handling at all levels form part of the job description.
Dealing with provisions of various laws and acts such as Industrial dispute Act, Factory Act, Workman Compensation Act, Payment of Wages, Minimum Wages and their implementation in the railways is another responsibility. The interpretation of rules and orders is also done in this branch.
All matters concerning the welfare of the staff such as provision of residential accommodation, canteens, holiday homes, consumer societies, schools, clubs, institutes, hospitals etc. also comes within its purview. Railway is one of the model employers with a large number of welfare measures being implemented to look after the staff and their families. Personnel officer is also the welfare officer in the railways.
Being responsible for the service, as well as personal issues of the employees, the personnel department works in close coordination with all other departments in the railways by functioning as consultant and adviser.
In a nutshell, most effective and efficient utilization of the vast human resource that railway have is entrusted to this department.
Organisation
At the apex level of the Ministry of RailwaysMinistry of Railways
Ministry of Railways may refer to:* Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways * Ministry of Railways...
,Government of India,the Railway Board Member Staff is the highest level post, who also happens to be the Ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.Currently he is assisted by two Advisors, viz: Advisor(Staff) and Advisor(IR), who are in the rank of Additional Secretary.Below them are a group of Executive Directors,Directors,Joint Directors and Deputy Directors who work at Railway Board level.The present Member Staff is a non-IRPS officer.
Similarly at the 16 Zonal Railway level the HR department or Personnel department as they call in the railways,is headed by a Chief Personnel Officer or CPO.CPOs are also posted in the major production units/factoris of Indian Railways.