Lok Sabha Q&A: Details on outsourcing staff in the railways

Indian Railways executes a wide range of works for creation, repair and maintenance of its various assets including stations, coaches, wagons, coaching depots, locomotives, tracks, etc. These works are executed through its own workers and/or through outsourcing (particularly non-core activities/which are not ongoing permanently) through contracting agencies. 1,53,463 contract workers were registered over Railways during the financial year 2021-22 as per data maintained on the Indian Railways Shramik Kalyan Portal.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1321

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

OUTSOURCING EMPLOYEES IN RAILWAYS

†1321. SHRI MALOOK NAGAR:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Railways is conducting an assessment in its departments to find out the various places where employees can be outsourced including the number of employees to be outsourced; and

(b) if so, the number of employees employed in Railways through outsourcing and details of social security benefit schemes implemented therein to provide benefits to these employees?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) No, Sir. However, Indian Railways (IR) executes a wide contractual range of works for creation, repair and maintenance of its various assets including stations, coaches, wagons, coaching depots, locomotives, tracks, etc pertaining to various departments namely Mechanical, Commercial, Electrical, Civil Engineering, Signal & Telecommunication, Medical, etc. These works are executed through its own workers and/or through outsourcing (particularly non-core activities/which are not ongoing permanently) through contracting agencies. Outsourcing is done by Railways on need basis from time to time in order to improve the services and efficiency in operation and the number of works being done through outsourcing varies from time to time according to requirement.

(b) 1,53,463 contract workers were registered over Railways during the financial year 2021-22 as per data maintained on the Indian Railways Shramik Kalyan Portal. Railways as principal employer ensures that the contract workers are provided facilities by the contractors as per provisions of Labour Laws and ensure compliance with the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 and minimum wages notified by the as Central/State Governments under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and EPF& MP Act, 1952. Compliance of the statutory provisions is ensured through conditions incorporated in the contracts made by Railways. Suitable guidelines have been notified for dealing with the cases of violation of the above laws, if any, in accordance with the extant laws and guidelines.

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