A circular from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) announced that the number of vacancies to be recruited for the IRMS through ESE 2023 is 225.
The Ministry has been recruiting officers through the Civil Services Exam (CSE), but it has now reinstated the earlier recruitment policy, and approval has been granted for recruitment through both the CSE and ESE, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The decision to restore the ESE was made after a proposal by the Ministry of Railways, dated October 3, 2024. DoPT allowed for the recruitment of both technical and non-technical officers through UPSC-ESE and UPSC-CSE, subject to certain conditions.
However, the proposed scheme of recruitment will not violate the Cabinet decision of December 24, 2019, which had initiated the earlier recruitment process.
In a letter from Satish Kumar, Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board, dated October 5, 2024, it was requested that engineers from various disciplines be recruited for IRMS through ESE-2025. The Ministry of Telecommunications had already notified the ESE rules for 2025, with the last date for applications set for October 8, 2024. In order to allow more candidates to apply, the Railway Board proposed that the application deadline be extended and aligned with the UPSC’s schedule.
The syllabus for the exam remains the same as previously notified and will apply to IRMS candidates. A total of 225 vacancies will be filled through ESE-2023, with successful candidates joining IRMS in various roles: IRMS (Civil), IRMS (Mechanical), IRMS (Electrical), IRMS (S&T), and IRMS (Stores).
The Railways Ministry has experienced difficulties in recruiting suitable technical officers through the earlier process. In response, technical and non-technical categories were merged under the IRMS. The tentative number of vacancies to be filled through ESE 2025 includes 75 for IRMS (Civil), 40 for IRMS (Mechanical), 50 for IRMS (Electrical), 40 for IRMS (S&T), and 20 for IRMS (Stores). Category-wise reservations for SC/ST/OBC/EWS and PwBD candidates will be maintained, and the process will proceed with liaison approval.
