Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers Service Rules 2021 – Notification Dtd 10th March
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 10th March, 2021
G.S.R. 164(E)
ln exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution and in supersession of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service Rules, 1971; the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service (Private Secretary Grade) Rules, 1989 and the Ministry of Railways, Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service, Senior Principal Private Secretary grade, Group ‘A’ Post Recruitment Rules, 2002, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the President hereby makes the following rules regulating the method of recruitment to the posts borne on the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service, namely:-
1. Short title and Commencement
(1) These rules may be called the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service Rules, 2021.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions
In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires:-
(a) “appointed day” means the date on which these rules shall come into force;
(b) “appointing authority”, in relation to a grade means the authority empowered under the provisions of the Indian Railway Establishment Code Volume I, to make appointments to that grade;
(c) “approved service”, in relation to any grade, means –
(i) in respect of an officer recruited directly to that grade, the period or periods of regular service rendered in that grade, including period or periods of absence during which he would have held a post on a regular basis in that grade but for his being on leave or otherwise not being available to hold such post, from the 1st day of July of the year, following the year in which the examination for direct recruitment was held ;
(ii) in respect of an officer recruited to that grade through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination , period or periods of regular service rendered in that grade including period or periods of absence during which he would have held a post on regular basis in that grade but for his being on leave or otherwise not being available to hold such post, from the 1st day of July of the year for vacancies of which such examination was held ;
(iii) in respect of an officer appointed to that grade on the basis of length of service in the lower grade, period or periods of regular service rendered in that grade, including period or periods of absence during which he would have held a post on regular basis in that grade but for his being on leave or otherwise not being available to hold such post, from the 1st day of July of the year for which the recruitment was made:
Provided that where there is a delay of more than ninety days in joining on appointment, in any of the cases mentioned in sub-clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), such delay should not be due to any fault on the part of the officer;
(d) “authorised strength”, in relation to any grade of the Service means the strength of duty posts in that grade, as specified in rule 5;
(e) “cadre” means the group of posts in the grades of Principal Staff Officer, Senior Principal Private Secretary, Principal Private Secretary, Private Secretary, Personal Assistant and Stenographer Grade ‘D’ in Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) ;
(f) “cadre controlling authority”, in relation to officers appointed to any grade of Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service means the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board);
(g) “cadre officer” in relation to any grade means a member of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service;
(h) “Commission ” means the Union Public Service Commission or the Staff Selection Commission , as the case may be ;
(i) “direct recruit” means a person recruited on the basis of competitive examination, other than a departmental competitive examination, conducted by the Staff Selection Commission in accordance with the procedure laid down in rule 12;
(j) “duty post” in relation to any grade of the Service means a cadre post held by officers of the Service on a regular basis in Ministry of Railways(Railway Board);
(k) “Field of Selection” means the list of eligible officers from which a selection will be made for inclusion in the Select List;
(1) “grade” means any of the grades specified in rule 3;
(m) “Limited Departmental Competitive Examination “, in respect of any grade of the Service, means a competitive examination held by the Union Public Service Commission or the Staff Selection Commission , as the case may be, to select candidates for that grade from amongst the respective feeder grades;
(n) “officer on probation ” means a direct recruit Stenographer Grade ‘D’, or a Personal Assistant or a Principal Private Secretary appointed on probation against a regular vacancy;
(o) “Other Backward Classes” means the castes and communities notified as Other Backward Classes by the Government of India from time to time;
(p) “panel and panel (part)” in relation to various grades of the Service, as specified in rule 3, means a list of officers, selected as per prescribed rules, for vacancies of a select list year for a mode of recruitment and such list of officers will be called a panel and if such selection is made more than once for a select list year then each such list shall be called panel (part);
(q) “permanent officer” means a person who has been confirmed in the entry grade;
(r) “recruitment year” is the same as select list year;
(s) “regular officer” in relation to any grade, means a person who has been appointed against a regular vacancy either through direct recruitment or through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination or through promotion on the basis of seniority;
(t) “regular vacancy” in relation to a grade for a select list year means actual vacancies in that grade as on the 1st July, excluding the vacancies of previous select list years for any mode of recruitment for which selection process is not complete , plus anticipated vacancies in that grade due to promotions , retirements , deputations and long leave during the select list year;
(u) “Schedule” means a Schedule annexed to these rules ;
(v) “Select List” in relation to various grades of the Service, as specified in rule 3, means a list of officers prepared by merging the relevant panels or panels (part) for all modes of recruitment for that grade in accordance with rules 9, 10, 11 and 12, provided that, if panels are not available for all modes of recruitment for that grade, in a select list year, a select list (provisional) may be prepared by merging the available panels or panels (part), as per the procedure laid down in the Regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways and amended from time to time ;
(w) “select list year” means period from the 1st July of the year to the 30th June of the following year;
(x) “seniority list” in relation to any grade means the seniority list of officers working in that grade as on the 1st day of July of any year and revised , shall be as determined by Regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways and amended from time to time ;
(y) “Service” means the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service;
(z) “Scheduled Castes” and “Scheduled Tribes” shall have the same meanings as are assigned to them by clauses (24) and (25), respectively of Article 366 of the Constitution;
3.Composition of the Service.-
There shall be six grades in the Service, which are classified as follows:-
4. Seniority List
(1) There shall be a seniority list for each grade of the Service specified in rule 3.
(2) The seniority list for each grade of the Service shall be prepared as on the 1st July of every year as per the procedure prescribed by the Ministry of Railways and amended from time to time.
(3) The relative seniority of members of the Service appointed to any grade before the appointed day shall be regulated by their relative seniority as determined before the said date:Provided that, if the seniority of any such officer had not been specifically determined before the said date, it shall be as determined by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board).
(4) The seniority of persons appointed to any grade after the appointed day shall be determined by the order in which their names appear in the select lists for that grade, with officers included in select list of any year being senior to officers included in the select list of subsequent year (s).
5. Authorised cadre strength of the Service
The authorised cadre strength of the various grades of the Service shall be as specified in Schedule-I.
6. Constitution of the Service
All persons appointed to each grade of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers‘ Service and who (if any) would be appointed to the respective grade (s) of the Service against regular vacancy occurred immediately before the appointed day, in accordance with the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers‘ Service (Senior Principal Private Secretary) Rules, 2002; the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers‘ Service (Private Secretary Grade) Rules, 1989 and the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers‘ Service Rules, 1971, and borne on any such grade shall be deemed to have been appointed in the respective grade under these rules.
7. Posting of cadre officers
Every cadre officer shall unless he is on leave or otherwise not available for holding a duty post, be posted against a duty post of the appropriate grade in the Cadre.
8. Duty posts to be held by cadre officers of the Service
Every duty post in the Service shall be held by a cadre officer of appropriate grade.
9. Appointment to Principal Staff Officer, Senior Principal Private Secretary and Principal Private Secretary Grades.-
(1) Regular vacancies in the Principal Staff Officer Grade shall be filled by promotion through selection of regular officers of the Senior Principal Private Secretary Grade who have rendered not less than five years of approved service in that grade;
(2) Regular vacancies in the Senior Principal Private Secretary grade shall be filled by promotion through selection of regular officers of the Principal Private Secretary grade who have rendered not less than five years approved service in that grade;
(3) Regular vacancies in the Principal Private Secretary grade shall be filled by promotion through selection of regular officers of the Private Secretary Grade who have rendered not less than six years approved service in that grade;
(4) For the purposes of sub-rules (1), (2) and (3) a Select List for the Principal Staff Officer, Senior Principal Private Secretary and Principal Private Secretary, shall be prepared and published annually. The procedure for preparing and revising the Select Lists for the Principal Staff Officer, Senior Principal Private Secretary and Principal Private Secretary shall be as provided in the Regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways and amended from time to time:
Provided that the Select List for Principal Private Secretary Grade shall be prepared in consultation with the Commission.
(5) Appointment to the grade of the Principal Staff Officer or Senior Principal Private Secretary or Principal Private Secretary shall be made by the competent authority in the order in which the names of the officer appear in the panels or panel (part);
10. Recruitment to Private Secretary grade
(1) 66.67 percent of the regular vacancies in the grade of Private Secretary shall be filled by promotion (seniority quota) on seniority basis and 33.33 percent through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination:
Provided that if sufficient number of candidates are not available for filling up the vacancies in any recruitment year, either by Limited Departmental Competitive Examination or by promotion on the basis of seniority, the unfilled vacancies shall be carried forward and added to the number of regular vacancies for the next recruitment year.
Illustration:
(2) For the purposes of sub-rule (1), seniority quota panel or panel (part) shall be prepared on the recommendation of the Selection Committee and Limited Departmental Competitive Examination panel or panel (part) shall be prepared on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission as per procedure prescribed in the Regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) and amended from time to time;
(3) Appointment to the vacancies in the grade of Private Secretary to be filled through seniority quota shall be made by the competent authority in the order in which the names of officers appear in the panel or panel (part);
(4) Appointment to the vacancies in the grade of Private Secretary to be filled through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination shall be made by the competent authority in order in which the names of officers appear in the relevant panel or panel (part);
11. Recruitment to Personal Assistant Grade
(1) The regular vacancies in the grade of Personal Assistant shall be filled 50 per cent by promotion (seniority quota) and 50 per cent through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination:
Provided that, if sufficient number of candidates are not available for filling up the vacancies in any recruitment year, either by Limited Departmental Competitive Examination or by promotion on the basis of seniority, the unfilled vacancies shall be carried forward and added to the number of regular vacancies for the next recruitment year.
(2) For the purposes of sub-rule (1), seniority quota panel or panel (part) shall be prepared on the recommendation of the Selection Committee and Limited Departmental Competitive Examination panel or panel (part) shall be prepared on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission as per procedure prescribed by Regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways and amended from time to time.
(3) Appointment to the vacancies in the grade of Personal Assistant to be filled through seniority quota shall be made by the competent authority in the order in which the names of officers appear in the panel or panel (part).
(4) Appointment to the vacancies in the grade of Personal Assistant to be filled through Limited Departmental Competitive Examination shall be made by the competent authority in the order in which the names of officers appear in the panel or panel (part).
12 Recruitment to Stenographer Grade ‘D’
(1) Regular vacancies in Stenographer Grade ‘D’ of the Service shall be filled by direct recruitment on the basis of competitive examination conducted for the purpose by the Staff Selection Commission.
(2) The rules for the competitive examination referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be as determined by Regulation made by the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) and amended from time to time.
13. Probation
(1) Every officer directly recruited to the Stenographer Grade ‘D’, shall initially be on probation for a period of two years from the date of appointment.
(2) Every officer appointed to Personal Assistant or Principal Private Secretary grade shall be on probation for a period of one year from the date of appointment.
(3) The period of probation specified in sub-rules (1) and (2), if the appointing authority deems fit, shall be extended in any case, but the total period of extension of probation shall not, save where it is necessary by reason of any Departmental or legal proceedings pending against the officers, exceed one year.
(4) During probation, a member of the Service may be required to undergo such training and pass such tests as the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) may prescribe from time to time.
14. Confirmation
(1) When a Stenographer Grade ‘D’ has passed the prescribed test and training and completed his probation to the satisfaction of the appointing authority, he shall be eligible for confirmation in that grade. He shall continue to be on probation until he is confirmed under this rule or is discharged or reverted under rule 16.
(2) Confirmations of all Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers‘ Service Officers shall be
made only once at the entry level into the Service.
15. Completion of probation or reversion of Principal Private Secretary/Personal Assistant
(1) Upon completion of the probation period or extended probation period, if any, the appointing authority shall assess the performance of the officer, as per prescribed procedure and shall declare either –
(a) successful completion of probation; or
(b) extension of the probation period further under sub-rule (3) of rule 13; or
(c) reversion of the officer to lower grade from which he was promoted.
(d) Notwithstanding anything in sub-rule (1), an officer may be reverted to lower grade any time during the probation or continued probation period, if he is not considered suitable for continuance in that grade, upon assessment made by the appointing authority.
16. Discharge
(1) An officer appointed to Stenographer Grade ‘D’ of the Service who has no lien on any post under the Central Government or any State Government shall, while on probation, be liable to be discharged from the Service at any time without notice, if
(i) on the basis of his performance or conduct during probation, he is considered unfit for further retention in the service; or
(ii) on the receipt of any information relating to his nationality, age, health or antecedents, the appointing authority is satisfied that he is ineligible or otherwise unfit for being a member of the Service.
(2) An officer appointed to Stenographer Grade ‗D’ of the Service who holds a lien on a post under the Central Government or any State Government may, while on probation, be reverted to such post at any time in any of the circumstances specified in sub-rule (1).
(3) An officer appointed to Stenographer Grade ‘D’ of the Service who is not considered suitable for confirmation or continuance in the grade, during or at the end of the period of probation specified in sub-rule (1) of rule 13 or at the end of the extended period of probation, if any, under sub-rule (3) of that rule, shall be discharged or reverted in accordance with sub-rule (1) or sub-rule (2) of this rule, as the case may be.
17. Pay
The levels of pay attached to the various grades of the Service shall be as specified in Schedule-I.
18. Regulation of Pay
(1) The pay and increments of officers of various grades shall be regulated in accordance with rules contained in the Indian Railway Establishment Code or other similar rules relating to pay for the time being in force.
(2) The pay of an officer appointed to a grade on probation may, on his completing each year of probation to the satisfaction of the appointing authority and passing the prescribed tests, be raised by one stage in the time scale.
19. Regulations
The Central Government in the Ministry of Railways may make regulations, not in consistent with these rules, to provide for all matters for which provision is necessary or expedient for the purpose of giving effect to these rules.
20. Residuary matters
In regard to matters not specifically covered by these rules or by schedules or orders made or issued there under or by special orders, the members of the Service shall be governed by the rules, regulations and orders applicable to the Railway Services in general.
21. Power to relax
Where the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways(Railway Board) is of the opinion that it is necessary or expedient so to do, it may, by order, for reasons to be recorded in writing, relax any of the provisions of these rules in consultation with the Commission, in respect of any class or category of persons.
22. Savings
Nothing in these rules shall affect reservation, relaxation and other concessions required to be provided for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Section and other special categories of persons in accordance with the orders issued by the Central Government, from time to time in this regard.
23. Interpretation
Where any doubt arises as to the interpretation of any of the provisions of these rules and regulations made there under, the same shall be decided by the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways(Railway Board), whose decision thereon shall be final.
Schedule – I [See rules 5 and 17]
Authorized strength of the various grades of Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service
(RBSSS) and level of Pay in the Pay Matrix
*The combined strength of the Principal Staff Officer and Senior Principal Private Secretary has been taken to be 20.
Note 1: The sanctioned strength may change upon abolition or creation of new posts/cadre restructuring etc.
Note 2: The non-functional pay scale in level 10 in the pay matrix shall be admissible to the regular Private Secretaries of the service on completion of four years of approved service in that grade. The Private Secretaries who are granted the non-functional pay scale would continue to remain in Group ‗B‘ (Gazetted) and their eligibility for promotion to Principal Private Secretary grade of the service shall be reckoned on the basis of total period spent in both the scales of Private Secretary, counted together.
[F. No. ERB-I/2013/11/4] S. K. AGARWAL, Jt. Secy. (Gaz.),
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