Piyush Goyal's intervention ends protest by Railway apprentices

The protest by agitating students in Mumbai was called off following Railway Minister Piyush Goyal's intervention. The Mumbai railway police, however, registered offences against hundreds of protesters, official said.

Goyal said the agitation by the students, who were seeking permanent jobs in the railways, was called off at 10:35 am following his appeal to apply for jobs during the railway recruitment drive for 90,000 job open till March 31.

One of the major demands of the agitating students, mostly of who had been apprentices in the railways, was scrapping of the 20% upper limit while hiring apprentices.

Addressing a press conference, Goyal said the 20% posts were reserved in keeping with the various judgments pronounced by the Apex Court and as per section 22(1) of the Apprentices Act.

These 20% posts were reserved for the "course completed act apprentices", who were already engaged with the railway establishment under the Apprenticeship Act, he added.

Goyal said a massive recruitment drive was going on to fill over 90,000 Group C and Group D posts in the railways and urged the protesters to apply for the vacancies, the last date for which is March 31.