IndiaPosted at: Oct 13 2026 10:23AM


Railway Board agrees to review staff allowances, manpower norms, pension anomalies and safety concerns

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) The Railway Board has agreed to constitute a committee to examine the enhancement of the Dry Cell Allowance, review working arrangements for track-machine operators, examine complaints regarding inadequate rest for Kolkata Metro track maintainers, and reassess staffing requirements in its medical and commercial departments.
It has also agreed to re-examine pension anomalies affecting retired employees, audit outsourced AC coach duties and pursue measures to address locomotive crew safety concerns, according to the final minutes of its Permanent Negotiating Machinery (PNM) meeting with the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR), held on August 20 and 21, and uploaded on the Railway Board's website on October 9.
The meeting, chaired by Railway Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satish Kumar, discussed employee grievances involving recruitment, workload, allowances, promotions, pension benefits, medical facilities and operational safety. NFIR President Guman Singh and General Secretary Dr M. Raghavaiah raised concerns over manpower shortages and increasing workloads, particularly in safety-sensitive categories.
According to the minutes, the Board decided that the Personnel Directorate would constitute a committee to examine enhancement of Dry Cell Allowance. The federation also demanded that the allowance should not be subjected to income tax deductions.
The Board agreed to undertake a comprehensive review of working arrangements for track-machine operators. It also decided to examine complaints that track maintainers in Kolkata Metro were not receiving prescribed rest under the revised duty roster providing four nights of duty, two days of daytime duty and weekly rest.
On medical staffing, the Director General of Railway Health Services informed the meeting that a committee comprising representatives from the medical, finance and human resources departments was being constituted to revise manpower norms. The committee would be asked to submit its report within three months.
A separate committee of executive directors has already been constituted to review staffing requirements across the commercial department, including ticket-checking personnel. NFIR demanded that its report be finalised within three months.
On locomotive operations, the Board said a committee was continuing to review the deployment of assistant loco pilots on MEMU and DEMU services. Under the first phase of its recommendations, assistant loco pilots had been permitted on services covering distances beyond 200 kilometres.
The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is also revising specifications for fog safety devices to reduce their weight to approximately 700 grams and address operational difficulties faced by running staff.
The Board informed the federation that seats for inspecting officials had been provided in approximately 5,500 electric locomotives. A proposal for 20,000 such seats had been approved for inclusion in the 2025-26 budget, with installation work continuing.
On outsourcing, the Board agreed that work performed by contract personnel in two divisions of Southern Railway would be reviewed and audited. NFIR requested that North Eastern Railway also be covered by the exercise.
The minutes state that outsourcing of certain non-core activities, including AC coach attendant duties and power-car escorting work, had become necessary because of constraints in filling vacancies and creating additional posts in line with workload.
On retirement benefits, the Board agreed to re-examine pension revision grievances involving retired Technician Grade-I employees. It also agreed to reconsider the issue of pension revision for certain pre-2006 retirees for a possible fresh reference to the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare.
The minutes further record that the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare had accepted a proposal concerning the relevant date for determining pension coverage in certain compassionate appointment cases. The decision had already been communicated to railway units.
On benefits for widows of former railway employees, the Board said a proposal to increase the monthly dependency income ceiling from Rs 9,000 plus dearness relief to Rs 25,000 plus dearness relief had been forwarded to the Finance Ministry for clearance.
The Commercial Directorate also agreed to reassess complaints regarding inadequate cooking facilities in rest rooms for ticket-checking staff and take necessary corrective action on priority.
In another decision, the Board said a committee comprising vigilance and human resources officials would be constituted to examine the eligibility of stenographers for selection to certain vigilance inspector posts.
The meeting also discussed grievances concerning promotion opportunities, medical reimbursement, railway hospital staffing, locomotive shed workloads and disciplinary procedures affecting running staff.
NFIR pressed for urgent action to address manpower shortages, arguing that the expansion of railway infrastructure and introduction of additional services had increased employees' responsibilities without adequate corresponding staff deployment.
The final minutes indicate that while several issues were recorded as finalised, other proposals remain under examination, require further consultation or await approval from the competent authorities. The recorded decisions do not amount to immediate implementation of all the financial and service benefits demanded by the federation.
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Tags: #Railway Board agrees to review staff allowances# manpower norms# pension anomalies and safety concerns
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