INDIAN RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT SERVICE (IRMS)

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About

The Union Ministry of Railways has announced that recruitment to the Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) will be done through a separate examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from 2023 onwards. It will be used to recruit officers to Group A services of the Indian Railways.
- The current system of recruitment does not have a unique examination for IRMS.
Like the Civil Services Exam (CSE), the new IRMS exam has; a Preliminary screening examination and a main written examination and interview.
- For the preliminary screening of candidates, they will need to appear for the Civil Services (Prelim) exam. This will be followed by a specific IRMS (Main) examination which will consist of four papers of conventional essay-type questions.

How is this different from the Current IRMS recruitment system?

IRMS officers can serve in any of the 10 different organized railway services, divided into three separate cadres:
- Technical services.
- Administrative and accounts services.
- Medical services.
Currently, recruitment for these three is done through three of the major examinations conducted by the UPSC:
- Engineering Services Examination for the cadre of technical officers including the Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers and Indian Railway Stores Service.
- Civil Services Examination for the cadre of administrative officers including the Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service, Indian Railway Accounts Service, and the Railway Protection Force.
- Medical Services Examination for the cadre of railway medical officers.
Under the new proposed system, the first two cadres will be recruited through the IRMS examination, with a common recruitment process.

Outcomes of this change

The eligibility for IRMS candidates will be different from the CSE: the minimum educational qualifications include a degree in engineering, commerce, or chartered accountancy.
- It means that the IRMS will no longer have officers with a background in social sciences or the pure sciences.
The IRMS exam is likely to benefit CSE aspirants with an engineering or commerce background. Now they will have another avenue open exclusively to them.
As the new system begins in 2023, the Ministry announced that 150 officers would be recruited through the CSE this year.