A group of probationers of Indian Railways Traffic Service, Indian Railways Accounts Service, Indian Railways Personnel Service, Indian Railways Stores Service, Indian Railways Service of Engineers and Railway Protection Force called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today (May 6, 2015) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Speaking on the occasion, the President stated that the canvas, scope and breadth of exposure and responsibility that a career in Government offers, and that too at a relatively young age, is an experience and opportunity unlike any other. The President told the probationers that they have joined one of the oldest Railway systems in the world, one which is a 162 years old. He stated that Railway finances were separated from general finances in 1924 and the practice of presenting a separate railway budget has been in vogue since then. The gross traffic receipts of the railways have also grown exponentially from Rs. 183 crores in 1947 to Rs. 1.59 lakh crores in 2014-15. The progress of the Indian Railways is unthinkable without the active involvement of each one of its vast number of employees. Indian Railways is one of the most important infrastructure systems anywhere in the world in terms of size, range of operations, and its reach and impact. It is the virtual lifeline of the nation and has also now joined the select club of 1 billion tonnes plus freight loading Railways.
The President said that probationers will have to look after a wide range of services from traffic operations to financial management, human resource development, safety, security and also improving the quality of services in Railways. They should serve the people of the nation by putting in their best efforts. He called upon them to uphold the high standards and dignity which has been maintained over the years.
This release issued at 1700hrs