The railways conducted a centralized computer-based exam on Sunday against a 70-per cent quota for 929 vacancies. The exam was conducted in 14 cities and 19 centers for Group "B" (officer-level) posts, the Indian Railways said. A total of 6,031 candidates were scheduled to appear in the exam.
These exams are being held after a policy was introduced last year as part of the measures taken by the Railway Board for bringing in reforms in the selection process for promotion to Group "B" posts in the railways. It was decided to introduce the Centralised Computer Based (CBT) objective-type examination for conducting 70 percent selections and 30 percent Limited Departmental Competitive Examinations (LDCEs) in all departments that have organized services from the vacancy cycle starting January 2023.
The selections and LDCEs for promotion to Group "B" posts are presently conducted by the respective zonal railways or production units independently. On Sunday, 1,987 (84 percent) of the 2,368 candidates appeared for the exam in the morning shift and 2,872 (78.4 percent) out of 3,663 turned up in the afternoon shift. The overall attendance was 80.6 percent. The supplementary CBT for the eligible absentees is scheduled to be held on March 5. The decision to centralize departmental promotion is a major policy change, which means that all Group "C" employees eligible for elevation would appear in the CBT, ensuring a level-playing field for everyone.
