Rlys mega online job drive may figure in Guinness World Records

The Railway Ministry’s move to hold a mega online recruitment drive may get a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as it is for the first time in the history of Railways that such a long online recruitment drive has been initiated. 

According to a senior railway official, 1.18 crore aspirants had applied for 18,000 non-technical posts, of which only 92 lakh have been shortlisted for the three-stage test, which is a 500-fold increase from previous years. The online recruitment drive was initiated by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu in March 2015. 

It was first initiated for examination to the Railways Recruitment Cell and Railways Protection Force.  

To conduct the test, which started on March 27 and will continue till May 3, in free and fair manner, the ministry has also pulled out all stops. “The exams are being conducted by Railways Recruitment Board (RRB), Kolkata, and is being conducted in 351 cities. The department is holding the exams at 1,000 centres across the country in 70 shifts,” the official said, adding that till date 66 lakh applicants have appeared for the test.

The official said, “Definitely, there is a huge challenge involved in it as conducting a free and fair examination is the government’s topmost priority. The department has adopted every possible measure to check cheating and other mal-practices. The online examination process is very secure.”

“It has extra benefits too as in online an aspirant can change the answer after realising that the answer he/she written is wrong, which was not there in manual process,” the official said, adding that the department is paying attention to women and divyang (disabled) candidates as 99 per cent of them have been allotted examination centre of their choice. Also, 82 per cent aspirants have been allotted their preferred centres.

Compared with banking exams, in which only 13 lakh aspirants take part, the railways mega online recruitment drive might figure in the Guinness Book of World Records.

According to data provided by the railways, 56-60 applicants used to apply for one post in manual form of examination, of which only 25-27 used to appear. The railways has recruited 1.22 lakh employees in the last four years.

The posts for which exams are being conducted are goods guard, assistant station manager, commercial inspector, traffic inspector, junior accountant, senior booking clerk, clerks and multi-tasking staff.