In a significant move, the Railway Board has relaxed the educational requirements for recruitment to Level-1 posts (formerly Group D) in Indian Railways. Under the new guidelines, candidates who have completed Class 10 or hold an ITI diploma, or an equivalent qualification, such as the National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) awarded by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), are now eligible to apply for these positions.
Previously, candidates applying for technical departments needed to have passed Class 10 along with either the NAC or an ITI diploma.
In a communication to all railway zones dated January 2, the Railway Board confirmed that the decision to update the eligibility criteria supersedes earlier instructions.
The official release from the Board reads: "It has been decided by the Board that the minimum educational qualification for all future open market recruitments in Level-1 posts (including the upcoming CEN for Level-1 recruitment) will be 10th pass, ITI or equivalent, or National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) granted by NCVT."
Level-1 posts include assistants in various departments, pointsmen, and track maintainers.
The Railway Recruitment Board recently announced that approximately 32,000 Level-1 positions will be filled through an open recruitment process. The application window for these posts will be open from January 23 to February 22.
