Railways to recruit over 5,000 ex-servicemen on contract basis
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New Delhi: Indian Railways will recruit more than 5,000 ex-servicemen as Pointsmen on a contract basis to quickly fill vacancies, as part of a new cooperation framework with the Indian Army aimed at supporting retired soldiers and Agniveers, Ministry of Railways said on Thursday.
The move comes under a newly introduced ‘Framework of Cooperation’ between the Railways and the Army to expand post-retirement job opportunities for Agniveers and serving Army personnel transitioning to civilian life.
The initiative is designed to ensure a smoother shift from military service to civilian careers while creating a dedicated support system for retiring personnel.
Under the plan, the Ministry of Railways has decided to hire ex-servicemen as Pointsmen across various zones on a contractual basis until regular recruitment processes are completed.
More than 5,000 Level-1 posts are currently being processed at the Zonal and Divisional levels. So far, nine Railway Divisions have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with concerned Army organisations to facilitate the hiring process.
Army recruiting units have also been asked to actively coordinate with Railway Divisions to speed up appointments.
The broader framework highlights a shared commitment to providing meaningful second-career opportunities to veterans while contributing to national development goals.
Welfare and resettlement of retired armed forces personnel already form an important part of Railway policy, the ministry said.
To support this, Indian Railways has provisioned 10 per cent horizontal reservation in Level-2 and above posts and 20 per cent in Level-1 posts for ex-servicemen.
In addition, 5 per cent reservation in Level-2 and above posts and 10 per cent in Level-1 posts have been earmarked for ex-Agniveers.
