The Indian Railways, through its 21 Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), is organising a mega recruitment drive in three phases starting from Tuesday for filling up about 1.4 lakh vacancies. The Ministry of Railways, in a release dated December 11, 2020, stated that more than 2.44 crore candidates will be appearing in different cities across the country to participate in the recruitment drive. According to the official release, the first phase of the exam will commence from December 15 till December 18, 2020, for isolated and ministerial categories. This will be followed by NTPC categories from December 28 to tentatively till March 2021 and the third recruitment for Level-1 from tentatively April 2020 onwards till June end, 2021. RRBs have made extensive preparations for conducting examinations of this large scale in COVID-19 pandemic times following SOPs as laid down by the government ensuring social distancing, compulsory use of masks, sanitisers, curtailing shifts for conducting exams to only two shifts per day. “Efforts are being made by RRBs to ensure that as far as possible the candidates are accommodated in their own State so that they can reach their exam centres by undertaking the overnight journey. Female and PWD candidates are accommodated within their home states. However, considering the skewed distribution of candidates area-wise, there will be unavoidable interstate movements. Railways will be running special exam trains to cater to the travel requirements of the candidates, wherever required and feasible. Chief Secretaries of concerned State Governments have also been requested to extend support of local administration to RRBs for conducting CBTs in secure and safe manner ensuring social distancing,” the Indian Railways said. According to the Indian Railways, candidates will be checked for the temperature at entry using thermo guns. “Candidates having temperature more than prescribed limits will not be allowed inside the exam venue. Intimation in this regard will also be sent to their registered email and mobile number regarding the rescheduling of such candidates. The exact date of the re-scheduled exam of such candidates will be intimated subsequently. The candidate should use his/her own facemask. Candidate has to produce COVID-19 self-declaration in the prescribed format at the entry and in absence of the same he/she will not be allowed into the exam venue. After each shift the exam centre will be sanitised before starting another shift,” it said. In order to safeguard the health of the candidates and other personnel involved in the conduct of exams amid COVID-19, the latest instructions, guidelines, and orders issued by the Central and respective State governments concerning COVID 19 will be followed and ensured, the Indian Railways stated.
