Satish Kumar, an officer with the Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS), has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, as announced in a government order on Tuesday. Kumar’s appointment is notable as he becomes the first member of the Scheduled Caste community to assume this top position. His term will begin on September 1, following the retirement of Jaya Varma Sinha on August 31. Sinha, who assumed the role on September 1 of the previous year, was the first woman to serve as CEO of the Railway Board.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Shri Satish Kumar, Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board,” an order from the department of personnel & training (DoPT) said on Tuesday. It added the appointment is in the apex pay scale (pay level 17 as per the 7th central pay commission).
Satish Kumar, a 1986-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), boasts a distinguished career of over 34 years with significant contributions to the railways. He was the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) for the Lucknow division on Northern Railway from April 2017 to 2019. Prior to his current position as General Manager of North Central Railway, Kumar served as the Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Vigilance Officer at North Western Railway in Jaipur.
“In recognition of his vast experience and contributions to the Indian Railways, Kumar was recently appointed as the MTRS, a key position that oversees the critical aspects of traction and rolling stock across railways,” a report cited a railways official. “Now, he will ascend to the highest level of Indian Railways as the Chairman of the Railway Board (CRB), where he will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the railway network in India.”
On July 29, the union government issued an order appointing Jaya Varma Sinha, the current chairperson of the Railway Board, to the position of administrative member at the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
