Ph.D, Post Graduates, B.Techs among those recruited for lowest category job in Railways
By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, Aug 15 (BVI) Eager to get a government job, youth with PhD, Post Graduation and Graduation, including B.Tech, degrees applied for the post of ‘Gang Man’ or ‘Track Maintainers’, the L-1 or lowest category in the Indian Railways for which the minimum required qualification is 10th Pass or ITI Pass-out.
The post was advertised in the year 2022 and 1.11 crore aspirants applied, out of which 43 lakh appeared for the L-1 examination conducted by the Railways at 551 centres across the country in phases.
Finally, the Railways recruited 1,13,977 candidates, who include 2 with Ph.D, 4296 Post-Graduates, 52,709 Graduates, including B.Tech, 202 Post-Graduate Diploma holders, 2834 Diploma holders, and 1407 Undergraduate Diploma holders.
While 17,680 Gang Men are 12th Pass, 26,831 are 10th pass.
The number of candidates who have done ITI and got the job is 6201 only.
Some candidates, who were illiterate or studied up to 5th only, have got the jobs on the ‘compassionate ground’.
The Gang Man in L-1 category is the lowest post in the railway hierarchy while the post of CRB (Chairman Railway Board), the top most position in the Railways, is in L-17 category.
The Gang Man’s job involves manual work as they are required to maintain the tracks with their tools.
Though the track maintenance technology has been upgraded, the Railways still needs these Gang Men who carry their hammers to do the job round-the-clock, whether it is raining or peak summer.
“There are machines now to ensure track fitness, but we still need Gang Men to ensure smooth train operations,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.
The number of recruitments of Gang Men is always on a higher side in the 13 lakh strong workforce in the Railways.
Gang Men do their jobs in three shifts as the track maintenance is crucial for train operation. (BVI)
