Thrust areas for the year 2025: Railway Board order on yearly preventive checks

Thrust areas for the year 2025: Railway Board order on yearly preventive checks to eliminate scope for corruption and system improvement: Order dated 21.02.2025

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. 2019/V-1/Thrust Areas/1/1

New Delhi, dated 21.02.2025

The SDGMs/CVOs
All Zonal Railways/PUs

Sub: Thrust areas for the year 2025.

The thrust areas for conducting. preventive checks are advised every year to eliminate scope for corruption and system improvement. Accordingly, the thrust areas for the year 2025 are as under,

1) Scrutiny of expenditure contracts covering all Departments viz. Engineering, Electrical, S&T and Mechanical for each of the following categories:-

1. Compliance of prescribed norms/guidelines issued from Railway Board for Works in tenders (IRWCMS), procurement (IREPS, IMMS), payments (IPAS) etc.
2. Quality check of safety items on coaches, locos & wagons.
3. Irregularities in Eligibility criterion-Special conditions restrictive in nature.
4. Duplicacy/Unrealistic assessment of work in Estimates and Tender schedule.
5. Checks of records maintained for outsourcing of electric loco parts.
6. Quality check of supply of OHE materials with emphasis on size of OHE foundation, Catenary & Contact wires.
7. Checks regarding quality and quantity of signalling /power cables utilized in new works.
8. Checks regarding inspection of telecom materials viz telecom cables
9. Emphasis on logical conclusion of contract with complaints on old and expired contract including review of contracts pending for closure.
10. Focus on Non fare Revenue from Land resources especially realization of outstanding dues against way leave facilities, leasing/licensing case etc.
11. For PUs, compulsory checks to be conducted on delay in disposal of application for Vendor approval as per U-VAM.
12. Scrutiny of manpower based contracts in Train Escorting, wiring of coaches, TSS& comparison of yardsticks.
13. Scrutiny of contracts where variation is over and above 25%.
14. Scrutiny of tenders finalized beyond 30 days of original validity.
15. Online finalization of Tenders/Issuance of Letters of Acceptance (LoA) in IREPS.
16. Incorporation of standard Eligibility criteria (Min. Eligibility Criteria) in works and service contracts.
17. Use of IRWCMS for Works/Service contracts. :
18. Quality check of linen items in stores depots and linen washing. :
19. Quality of Earthwork and Blanketing.
20. Quality of high grade concrete i.e., M-25 & above.
21. Checking invoices of structural steels in Bridges including ROBs/RUBs.
22. Checks on pile foundation work including pile integrity test and record keeping.
23. Availability of mix design and its implementation for production of concrete.
24. Check on availability of level books with test check by executing officials in case of earth work.
25. Test check by all concerned officials/officers in IRWCMS for construction/open line works as per Engg. Code and existing circulars of Zonal Railways.
26. Quality of fabrication assembly and erection of structural steel members for construction of railway bridges.
27. Design & construction of RE (Reinforced Earth) wall at approaches of ROB.
28. Checks on in house repair & AMC/ARC of S&T/Electrical/Mechanical/Civil Engg equipment.
29. Accountal of high valued items.
30. Site inspection for items issued in large quantities.
31. Rewiring and augmentation of power supply works of service buildings to be scrutinized for quantity and quality.
32. Checks on Quality of Mast foundation.
33. Checks on Quality of execution of the work.
34. Checks on inspection of materials by consignee, samples of bulk. quantity may be sent to reputed testing agency.
35. Checks on Zonal works for the work of Power supply arrangement at pit line.
36. Checks of inclusion of NS items w.r.t. the work & its relevance.
37. Quality of signaling cable.
38. Quality of material inspection by the consignee.
39. Quality of execution of work.
40. Checks on the third party inspection viz RITES & RDSO.
41. Scrutiny of consultancy contracts.

2) In order to cover large value works/Machinery & Plants/procurement, the following Plan Heads have been identified for conducting preventive checks, including proper accountal of stores:-

1. Action on cartelisation relevant for Stores as well as Engg. Departments in procurement of material and following two aspects to be covered:-
   1. Testing of material supplied in all such cases.
   2. Action initiated by the Executive Deptt to break the cartel.
2. Irregularities in Inspection of Materials by consignee, as
3. Scrutiny of both Stock and Non-Stock Procurement cases in Division/Workshop
   1. (i) PC of Purchase cases>10 lakhs in divisions and workshops.
   2. (ii) PC of Purchase cases(Direct Acceptance Case)>10 lakhs.
4. Checks to be conducted of rejected items lying in sheds/shops (including engineering depots) to see whether their warranty claims has been ensured through UDM(User Deport Module).
5. Scrutiny of procurement of items having three or less vendors in the approved list of RDSO/PUs.
6. Verification of Import documents in cases of procurement through Imports.
7. Routine check of delivery of scrap.
8. Vendor approval system to be routinely checked at RDSO and PUs especially in those cases where Vendors are less than 03 and application for fresh registration are not being processed in time.
9. Genuineness of OEM’s and their local vendors.
10. Checks of material lying on shop floor to ascertain whether they are accounted in UDM (User Deport Module)
11. Preventive Check of GeM purchase> 10 lakhs especially in Division and Workshops.
12. Observance of Guidelines/Circulars issued from Railway Board regarding procurement through GeM.
13. Checks on restrictive criteria in GeM Contracts.

3) Other Checks:-

1. Claim settlement cases especially death cases under section 124-A. Ensure claims are genuine to prevent misuse by unscrupulous elements.
2. Monitoring coverage and usage of CCTVs and other Surveillance mechanisms at various critical infrastructures of Railways where misuse is rampant.
3. Scrutiny of Service Contracts —Parking, OBHS, Mechanised Cleaning, Housekeeping/Cleaning etc.
4. Checks on travelling authority and Irregularities committed by on board staff including carrying of undeclared excess cash.
5. Observance of canons of financial propriety in management and outsourcing at various Railway Institutes/Sports institution/Stadiums/ Community halls etc.
6. Upkeep & maintenance of Railway Guest houses.

4) Mass Contact area:-

1. Checks on non issued tickets and special cancellation in PRS and UTS.
2. Checks on reservation done on zero value/pre-bought tickets and misuse of special/complimentary passes.
3. Checks on overloading of VPs/SLRs and record keeping of overloading instances by the checking/contracting division and action taken thereof.
4. Duty Roster of TTEs & rotation of TTEs.
5. EFT and station cash remittance and submission of periodical returns.
6. Review of staff posted at Goods Sheds, Parcel officers and other sensitive posts to ensure rotation.
7. Checks on Outsourcing staff working in Railway trains and stations.
8. Corruption related to connivance of Railway Staff with Outsourcing Staff.
9. Manipulation and forgery in UTS Tickets
10. Manipulation/wrong flags in FOIS leading to huge financial repercussions. For example, a) showing railway siding as private siding, b) automatic showing of placement time as release time in FOIS, c) showing false removal of wharf from Railway Premises, d) timely recovery, etc)
11. Checks on compliance of approved system improvements.
12. Checks on excess utilisation of space pertaining to Commercial Contracts (Catering, Parking, Commercial Publicity etc.)
13. Special Checks on NRH (Non-Rail Head) and way-side PRS locations.

5) Maintenance and upkeep of in-motion weighbridges, Checks on overloading.

6) Accounts Department:

1. Failed NEFT transactions and bankers cheques.
2. Memorandum of differences for salary payment.
3. Bill passing of contracts-entries of MB.
4. Reconciliation of payment of Deposit works.
5. Internal-check machinery in bill passing of contractors and suppliers claims.
6. Reconciliation of receipts through electronic mode.
7. Report of pending RRs, deduction of surcharge and deposit of BG.
8. Check vendor/Pariy Master in IPAS to weed out fake entities & expired contracts.
9. Checking of Price variation Bills.
10. Checking of Incentive bonus given to SSEs in Workshops and Production. Units.
11. Checking of DOB of the Pensioners/family pensioners in the Scroll Sheet of the Bank with special attention to pensioners >80 yrs of age.
12. Check of BG register.

7) Personnel Department

1. Maintenance of leave records.
   b) Verification of various certificates of the candidate recruited through compassionate grounds, sports quota & cultural quota etc.
2. Recording of entries of punishment in service records and its actual implementation.
3. Scrutiny of long absentee employee, verification of employee data in IPAS with muster roll/attendance and service records.
4. Scrutiny of compassionate appointment cases & role of Welfare Inspectors.
5. Scrutiny of Departmental exams.
6. Crosscheck of list submitted by various units with respect to timely rotation of staff working on “Sensitive Posts”.
7. Checking of scale-check register.
8. Checking of outsourcing of manpower in lieu of BPs.
9. Checking of timely publication of seniority lists.

8) Medical Department

1. Initial Medical Exam/PME of candidates/employees-medical decategorization.
2. Referral Hospital case-option given by the employee.
3. Local purchase of medicines.
4. Issue, accountal and quality of medicine.
5. Enlistment of Private Hospitals for referral of patients and procedure to refer the patients to private hospitals approved by Zonal Railways.
6. Scrutiny of contracts for supply of diet for in-patient in the Hospitals.
7. Checking of Sick/Fit certificates books regarding issue of certificate books and issue of certificate in chronological orders with proper dating and without leaving blank certificates in Books. :

9) Training Programmes:-Training Workshop/Interaction with field Units on specific subjects mentioned in Thrust areas-At least two in each division in a year by Zonal Vigilance.

10) Apart from above thrust areas, SDGMs/CVOs are also advised to monitor:-

1. Use of online finalization of tender through IREPS in timely finalization of tenders (Works, Stores & Commercial).
2. Monitoring timely completion of DAR enquiries resulting out of vigilance investigations.
3. Timely and prompt updation of cases on IRVINS.

Successful steps taken in this regard are to be documented for sharing of best practices and a quarterly report is to be sent to the Board’s Office highlighting achievements under these heads, linking them to better governance and growth of Indian Railways.

(Vivek Varshney)
Exe. Director Vigilance (Mech.)
Railway Board