Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Feb 25 (.) Indian Railways, under the Framework of Cooperation, with the Indian Army, has introduced enhanced reservation provisions for both ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers across Level-1 and Level-2/above posts, as part of a structured push to strengthen their resettlement and employment prospects.
On Wednesday the Additional Directorate General of Public Information dubbed the move as a New Milestone in Inter-Ministerial Cooperation.
“Indian Army and Indian Railways have launched a ‘Framework of Cooperation’ to strengthen post-retirement employment avenues for Agniveers and Army personnel.
Guided by senior leadership of the Indian Army and the Ministry of Railways, the initiative seeks to facilitate smoother transitions to civilian careers, enhance awareness of employment opportunities within the Railways and establish a responsive support mechanism for retiring personnel. The framework reflects a shared commitment to empowering Veterans with meaningful second careers while contributing to National Development,” the Army said in a post on X.
Highlighting the shared ethos of the two institutions, the Railways stated, “Indian Railways (IR) and Indian Army (IA) share valuable skills, discipline, technical competence and leadership qualities that personnel of both organizations acquire during the course of their service, which helps them symbiotically contribute to nation building.”
The letter, dated 19th February, underlined that “a significant number of soldiers, sailors and air men retire at a comparatively young age with considerable operational experience, managerial capability and, most importantly, a sense of discipline and national fervour,” adding that the welfare of retired armed forces personnel “has been an important component in IR’s policy formulation.”
Detailing the existing provisions, the Railways noted that it has introduced suitable quotas in Level-1 and Level-2/above posts. “A horizontal reservation of 10 per cent in Level 2/above and 20 per cent in Level-1 posts has been provisioned for ex-servicemen, and of 5 per cent in Level-2/above and 10 per cent in Level-1 posts for ex-agniveers,” the letter said.
It further mentioned that in 2024 and 2025, “14,788 posts were reserved for ex-servicemen in the vacancies notified by railways, including 6,485 posts in Level-I and 8,303 posts in Level-2/above.”
A consolidated compilation of posts, including age relaxation and educational qualifications, has been prepared as Annexure ‘A’, described as “a first step towards presenting avenues available to ex-servicemen and ex-agniveers in a consolidated manner,” with the hope that it would assist welfare organisations in facilitating suitable employment.
Acknowledging that recruitment to Level-1 and Level-2/above posts through Railway Recruitment Centres (RRCs) and Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) is “a time consuming process,” the Ministry has initiated interim measures.
“To fill existing vacancies, and as a measure to benefit ex-servicemen, Ministry of Railways decided to recruit ex-servicemen to the posts of ‘Pointsmen’ across IR on contract basis, until such vacancies are filled through the regular recruitment process,” the letter said.
These Level-1 posts, “amounting to more than 5,000 in number,” are being processed at zonal and divisional levels, with nine divisions having already entered into MoUs with Army organisations concerned. The Railways requested that “concerned army recruiting organisations may also be asked to pro-actively engage with Divisions, which would expedite filling up of these posts.”
Emphasising the broader strategic partnership, the letter stated that IA and IR share “a deep, symbiotic cooperation to further national security, logistics and personnel movement,” leveraging infrastructure such as the Dedicated Freight Corridors and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, alongside skill-sharing initiatives through MoUs with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
“Resettlement of ex-servicemen is an important aspect of this relationship,” the Railways said, proposing a formal “Framework of Cooperation” to facilitate institutional coordination and promote engagement of ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers within the existing recruitment framework.
The ‘Agneepath’ recruitment model was unveiled in June 2022 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as a major reform in the intake process for the armed forces. The scheme introduced short-term contractual enrolment for youth into the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, marking a shift from the traditional long-term service structure.
The completion of service of the first batch of Agniveers in slated for late 2026. Upon completion of the four-year term, up to 25 per cent of each batch is eligible for enrolment into the regular cadre of the armed forces based on merit and organisational requirements.
. PWS RSA
