SATHEE: Railway General Managers

Railway General Managers

Item	Details
1st GM of Indian Railways	F. L. Smith (1928 – East Indian Railway)
Present Railway Board Chairman & CEO	Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti (as on 31 Dec 2025)
First Lady GM of IR	Ms. Vinita Bhatnagar (Central Railway, 2000)
Youngest-ever GM of a Zone	Shri Ravindra Kumar Verma (SECR, 1997 – 43 yrs)
Longest-serving GM in one Zone	Shri P. C. Baveja (NR – 5 yrs 3 months)
Only GM to later become President of India	Shri Ram Nath Kovind (ex-officio GM, Railway Staff College)
Apex selection body for GM	Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
Minimum eligibility rank	Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) – ₹2,05,400–2,24,400
Tenure	Normally 2 years or until superannuation, whichever is earlier
Cadre controlling authority	Railway Board (Personnel Directorate)
Total number of Zonal Railways	19 (as on Dec 2025)
Ex-officio Principal Secretary to State Govt.	GM of the Zonal HQ located in that State
First Zonal GM to introduce 100 % LED lit station	Shri S. K. Sood (CR – Mumbai CST, 2016)
GM who launched 1st Vande Bharat Express	Shri Ajay Kumar Goyal (WR – 15 Feb 2019)
First GM to pilot a goods train from loco cab	Shri Ashwani Saxena (ECR – 2021 safety drive)
Only Zone with two GMs (acting) during 2020	ER & SER (Covid-19 tenure extension)
1st GM to sign direct MoU with ISRO	Shri G. V. L. Satyakumar (SCR – 2022)
First woman GM of Production Unit	Ms. Seema Sharma (ICF, Chennai – 2023)

A General Manager (GM) is the highest executive head of a Zonal Railway and reports to the Railway Board.
Appointment order is issued by the Ministry of Railways after ACC clearance; no separate UPSC exam is involved.
GM chairs the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) and Zonal Safety Review Committee.
All Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) and Heads of Departments (PHODs/ChHODs) in the zone report to the GM.
Financial powers: up to ₹250 crore for works, ₹50 crore for safety & passenger amenity works under delegation.
GM is the competent authority to accord administrative approval for new lines, gauge conversion & doubling within delegated powers.
Can re-appropriate up to 10 % of allotted capital in a financial year without Railway Board concurrence.
On default, Principal Financial Adviser (PFA) of the zone is the financial advisor to the GM.
GM is the Appointing Authority for Group ‘B’ officers and Disciplinary Authority for JAG level officers.
Holds monthly “GM Ki Chai” programme with frontline staff to address grievances directly.
Ex-officio President of the Zonal Railway Sports Association and patron of the Women’s Welfare Organisation.
The official car allotted is an Indian-made sedan with a blue beacon – now without siren post-2017 order.

1. Who was the first lady to become General Manager of an Indian Railways zone?

Ms. Vinita Bhatnagar – Central Railway, 2000.

2. The minimum rank required for being appointed as a Railway General Manager is:

Higher Administrative Grade (HAG).

3. Which constitutional body finally clears the appointment of a Zonal Railway GM?

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

4. Who among the following former Railway GMs later became President of India?

Shri Ram Nath Kovind.

5. The number of Zonal Railways functioning in Indian Railways as on December 2025 is:

19.

6. The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by which GM?

Shri Ajay Kumar Goyal, Western Railway.

7. The financial power delegated to a GM for safety works without referring to the Board is:

₹50 crore.

8. Who is the competent authority to impose major penalty on Junior Administrative Grade officers in a zone?

The General Manager.

9. The first Production Unit to get a woman GM was:

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) – Ms. Seema Sharma, 2023.

10. The official vehicle of a Railway GM is permitted to use:

Blue beacon without siren.