Railways answer avoids zone-wise vacancy breakdown, no timeline for filling posts

The question asked the Ministry of Railways to state whether posts are vacant, provide zone-wise details, and outline actions and timelines to fill vacancies, particularly in Southern Railways. The government responded by laying a statement on the Table of the House detailing recruitment figures and processes.

Asked by: Shri Jai Prakash and Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P; Answered by: Ministry of Railways (Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw).

• Recruitment increased from 4.11 lakh (2004-2014) to 5.56 lakh (2014-2026, including 50,485 for Southern Railway).
• Recruitment against 1,61,889 vacancies (including 11,387 for Southern Railway) is underway as per Annual Calendars 2024, 2025, and 2026.
• In 2024, 10 Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) were issued for 92,116 vacancies; first-stage CBTs were completed for all, with 3.58 crore candidates appearing.
• In 2025, 9 CENs were issued for 51,970 vacancies (including 3,412 for Southern Railway); first-stage CBTs completed for 29,775 posts with 90.96 lakh candidates.
• In 2026 (upto 30.06.2026), 3 CENs were issued for 17,803 vacancies (including 1,048 for Southern Railway).
• The Ministry introduced an Annual Calendar system for Group 'C' recruitment starting in 2024 to provide certainty and faster processing.
• Panels for more than 3,300 candidates were finalized in 2026-2027, with the majority in safety categories.

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