The Standing Committee on Railways in its latest report observed that there were over 1 Lakh 66,000 vacancies in Group C and Group D posts as on April 2010.
The Committee headed by DMK leader TR Baalu has recommended reviews the entire recruitment procedure and complete it within a specific time frame.
It stated that the large number of vacancies in the Railway Protection Force, RPF and Railway Protection Special Force RPSF, reflects poorly on the pace of the recruitment process in the Railways. The panel also suggested that the practice of engaging retired personnel should be discontinued in due course and vigorous efforts should be made to recruit proper running staff.
The Committee also expressed its unhappiness over the representation of women employees in Railways and recommended the ministry to undertake proactive steps to enable women to be adequately represented in the Railways.