Date: 2026-02-26Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Indian Railways and Indian Army Launch ‘Framework of Cooperation’ to Strengthen Post-Retirement Career Opportunities for Agniveers and Serving Army Personnel
**Executive Summary**
The Indian Railways and Indian Army have launched a "Framework of Cooperation" to enhance post-retirement career opportunities for Agniveers and serving Army personnel. The framework includes dedicated reservations for ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers in railway jobs, as well as immediate contractual appointments for ex-servicemen as pointsmen. A total of 14,788 posts are reserved for ex-servicemen in the 2024-25 railway vacancy notifications.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Framework Overview:**
* Aims to expand post-retirement employment opportunities for Agniveers and serving Army personnel transitioning to civilian life.
* Seeks a smoother transition from military to civilian careers and increases awareness of job prospects in the Railways.
* Reinforces a shared commitment to providing veterans with meaningful second-career pathways.
* **Reservations:**
* 10% horizontal reservation in Level-2/above posts and 20% in Level-1 posts are reserved for ex-servicemen.
* 5% reservation in Level-2/above posts and 10% in Level-1 posts are earmarked for ex-Agniveers.
* In 2024 and 2025, 14,788 posts are reserved for ex-servicemen, including 6,485 in Level-1 and 8,303 in Level-2/above.
* **Recruitment:**
* Recruitment to Level-1 and Level-2/above posts is conducted through Railway Recruitment Centres (RRCs) and Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) via competitive examinations.
* **Contractual Appointments:**
* Ex-servicemen will be recruited as 'Pointsmen' on a contract basis until regular recruitment processes are completed.
* Over 5,000 Level-1 posts are being processed for pointsmen.
* Nine Divisions have MOUs with Army organizations for the hiring of Pointsmen.
* Army organizations are called upon to proactively engage with Railway Divisions to expedite filling the posts.
* **Nation Building:**
* The cooperation will allow the Indian Railways and Indian Army to share valuable skills, discipline, technical competence, and leadership qualities.
* Skill-sharing initiatives are being promoted through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ex-Servicemen and Ex-Agniveers**
* **Impact:** Increased job opportunities within the Indian Railways, providing avenues for a second career after military service.
* **Action Required:** Participate in the recruitment process through RRCs and RRBs or express interest in contractual positions as Pointsmen.
**Indian Railways**
* **Impact:** Access to a pool of skilled and disciplined personnel to fill vacancies. Enhanced collaboration with the Indian Army for logistics and personnel movement.
* **Action Required:** Engage with Army recruiting organizations, expedite the hiring process, and participate in skill-sharing initiatives with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
**Indian Army**
* **Impact:** Provides avenues for soldiers to transition to post-retirement careers.
* **Action Required:** Cooperate and liaise with Railways to expedite hiring and provide resources to ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers.
Key Entities Referenced
Indian Railways: Central government ministry responsible for rail transport; key employer for ex-servicemen.
Indian Army: Branch of the Indian Armed Forces, providing personnel for potential employment in the railways.
Framework of Cooperation: Agreement between Indian Railways and the Indian Army to strengthen post-retirement career opportunities.
Ex-Servicemen: Former members of the armed forces, targeted for recruitment by Indian Railways.
Agniveers: Soldiers enrolled under the Agnipath scheme, also targeted for recruitment by Indian Railways.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways and Indian Army Launch
‘Framework of Cooperation’ to Strengthen Post-
Retirement Career Opportunities for Agniveers
and Serving Army Personnel
Major Employment Push with Dedicated Reservation for Ex-
Servicemen and Ex-Agniveers in Level-1 and Level-2/Above
Posts
Railways to Recruit Over 5,000 Ex-Servicemen as Pointsmen
on Contract Basis to Fill Vacancies Faster
Railways Reserved 14,788 Posts for Ex-Servicemen in 2024–
25 Vacancy Notifications
Posted On: 26 FEB 2026 6:48PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant step towards deepening institutional collaboration, Indian Railways and the Indian Army
have introduced a “Framework of Cooperation” aimed at expanding post-retirement employment
opportunities for Agniveers and serving Army personnel transitioning to civilian life.
Spearheaded by senior leadership from the Army and the Ministry of Railways, the initiative is designed
to ensure a smoother shift from military to civilian careers. It will also increase awareness about job
prospects within the Railways and create a dedicated support system to assist retiring personnel.
This collaborative framework underscores a shared commitment to providing veterans with meaningful
second-career pathways while supporting broader national development goals.
Major Employment Opportunities for Ex-Servicemen
Welfare and resettlement of retired armed forces personnel form an important component of Indian
Railways’ policy framework.
To provide employment avenues for ex-servicemen and ex-agniveers:
10% horizontal reservation in Level-2/above posts and 20% in Level-1 posts has been provisioned
for ex-servicemen.
Additionally, 5% reservation in Level-2/above posts and 10% in Level-1 posts has been earmarked
for ex-agniveers.In the years 2024 and 2025, a total of 14,788 posts were reserved for ex-servicemen in railway vacancy
notifications, including:
6,485 posts in Level-1
8,303 posts in Level-2/above
Recruitment to Level-1 (erstwhile Group D) and Level-2/above posts is conducted through Railway
Recruitment Centres (RRCs) and Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), respectively, via competitive
examinations.
Immediate Engagement Through Contractual Appointments
To promote faster engagement of ex-servicemen and address existing vacancies, the Ministry of Railways
has decided to recruit ex-servicemen as ‘Pointsmen’ across Indian Railways on a contract basis until
regular recruitment processes are completed.
More than 5,000 Level-1 posts are currently being processed at the Zonal and Divisional levels. So far, 9
Divisions have entered into MoUs with concerned Army organizations for hiring of Pointsmen.
The collaborative framework also calls upon Army recruiting organizations to proactively engage with
Railway Divisions to expedite the filling of these posts.
Harnessing Collective Strengths for Nation Building
Indian Railways and Indian Army share valuable skills, discipline, technical competence and leadership
qualities developed during service, contributing significantly to nation building. A substantial number of
soldiers retire at a comparatively young age with rich operational and managerial experience, along with
strong discipline and national fervour.
The cooperation between Indian Railways and Indian Army plays a vital role in logistics and personnel
movement. Strategic infrastructure projects such as the Dedicated Freight Corridors and the Udhampur–
Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link have enhanced rapid deployment capabilities for troops and equipment.
Skill-sharing initiatives are also being promoted through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with
Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
The framework promotes structured engagement of ex-servicemen and ex-agniveers within the existing
recruitment system and strengthens long-term collaboration. The initiative underscores the Government’s
commitment to leveraging the experience and discipline of armed forces veterans while strengthening
national infrastructure and security coordination.
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Dharmendra Tewari/ Ritu Raj
(Release ID: 2233196) Visitor Counter : 291
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