EoL to Probationary Officers for appearing in any Exams

Instructions issued from time to time by the Railway Board on the matter of grant of leave to railway probationary officers for appearing in examination(s)

Grant of leave to Probationary Officers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (भारत सरकार)
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (रेल मंत्रालय)
RAILWAY BOARD (रेलवे बोर्ड)

No. 2022/E(Trg)/13/3

New Delhi, dated : 20.12.2022

The Director General/Director,
All Central Training Institutes.

Sub: Grant of leave to Probationary Officers for appearing in any Examination(s).

In supersession of all the instructions issued from time to time by the Railway Board on the matter of grant of leave to railway probationary officers for appearing in examination(s), it has been decided with approval of the competent authority that –

i. Candidate(s) who are willing to take any further examination for their career progression can seek Extra-ordinary Leave (EoL) for one year at the time of joining.

ii. Candidates joining railway services will not be permitted to take such examination(s) during probationary training period. However, they will be permitted to appear for interview/personality test and granted leave restricted to the days of interview/personality test and medical examination.

iii. Once probationary training is completed, officers can appear for examination subject to extant provisions.

iv. Seniority of officers availing such EoL would be reckoned with their batchmates as per initial date of joining i.e. there would be no effect on their seniority on this account which will be determined on successful completion of the probationary period.

2. All the selected candidates immediately on reporting at the respective Central Training Institute (CTI) to join as probationary officers, shall have to necessarily give a declaration on the date of joining regarding their intention of appearing in any examination. There will be two options for giving such declaration, one of which has to be necessarily filled up by all the candidates:

i. Declaration ‘A’: Those who intend to appear in any examination to improve their career prospects, (i.e. next one examination only), must apply in writing to the Head of Centralized Training Institute concerned requesting for grant of EOL for one year.

ii. Declaration ‘B’: Those who do not intend to take any examination shall give declaration to that effect and they will be allowed to undergo training with immediate effect.

3. On reporting back after availing EoL, the candidates who had opted for option 2(i) above, shall have to necessarily fill in the Declaration ‘B’ as per 2(ii) above, as EOL will be granted only once. In case, they do not give this declaration, it will be taken that they are no more interested in Railway service and will not be allowed to join and their services would be terminated following due procedure.
4. EOL shall be granted by the Head of the CTI concerned. For this purpose, there shall be no need to make any reference to Board.
5. In case a probationer who has been granted EoL as per 2(i) above and he/she fails to join at the end of one year EoL, it will be taken that they are no more interested in Railway service, and his/her services would be terminated following due procedure.
6. Guidelines governing the above policy are as under:-

i. A probationer who has availed EoL for one year, will join the training with candidates of next batch and not be allowed to join in the middle of training of his/her batchmates since probationary training is a structured program and joining mid-way would vitiate the flow of training both for the existing trainees as well as the new entrant.

ii. Technical resignation during the period he/she is on EoL will be permitted and the same will be accepted by the competent authority following due procedure. However, in case of resignation on any other account, the probationer would have to refund all the money spent on him by the Government, the quantum of which will be decided by the CTI concerned to which the probationer is attached.

iii. Those probationers, who avail EoL as per para 2(i) above, will have to voluntarily forgo availing the facility of free Railway passes and privilege Ticket Orders during the period of such EOL.

iv. Extension of the trainee posts for the probationers who avail one year EoL, may be done by the CTI concerned in consultation with their associate finance.

7. The probationer who has appeared for any examination and joins the training with the next batch and is subsequently selected for any other service will have their regular training suspended and they be utilised by the CTI concerned in projects that can be completed within the period.
8. In case of a probationer availing EoL or any other kind of leave, his/her probation period shall be extended by such period as may be necessary, subject to the condition that the total period of probation does not exceed double the prescribed period of probation under any circumstances.
9. CTI concerned shall ensure that every probationer on reporting to the concerned CTI, is informed of the above instructions, under their clear acknowledgement and the necessary declarations as per the choice exercised by the probationers are obtained on the date of joining itself.
10. These instructions shall be applicable from CSE-2021 Exam batch and onwards.
11. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

Encl: As above.

(Jitendra Kumar)
Dy. Director, Estt(Training)

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