Satish Kumar becomes 1st Dalit chairman, CEO of Railway Board

Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) officer Satish Kumar has been appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, a government order said on Tuesday, making him the first ever member from a Scheduled Caste community selected for the board’s top post.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi says no ‘Miss India, top media anchor’ from Dalit, tribal, OBC communities

Kumar, whose tenure is set to begin on September 1, will replace the current chairperson and CEO of the board, Jaya Varma Sinha, who is superannuating on August 31. When she took charge on September 1 last year, Sinha became the first woman to be appointed as the CEO of the board, the topmost post in the Indian Railways.

“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).

Also Read: The BJP’s poll showing and Dalit anxiety on reservation

A 1986-batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer, Kumar has made significant contributions to railways throughout his career, spanning over 34 years. He served as the divisional railway manager (DRM) of the Lucknow division on Northern Railway from April 2017-2019. Before his appointment as the general manager of North Central Railway, Kumar also served as the senior deputy general manager and chief vigilance officer on 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 railways official said. “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.”

Also Read: Dalits, OBCs faced atrocities during Congress regime, says Haryana CM Nayab Saini

The Union government, in an order on July 29, appointed current Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha as an administrative member in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).