Railways to hire 560 paramedical staff; RRB applications open 15 September
The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) have issued a short notice for the recruitment of 560 paramedical staff across Indian Railways under Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) 05/2026. The notice was released on 8 September, and the online application window is scheduled to open on 15 September and close on 14 October 2026, according to Testbook and Oliveboard.
The detailed notification, with zone-wise vacancies and full eligibility conditions, is expected on 15 September, Oliveboard reported. The vacancy count of 560 is tentative and may be revised in the final notification.
Vacancy breakdown
Nursing Superintendent accounts for the bulk of the posts, with 372 vacancies at Pay Level 7, according to the breakdown published by Testbook. Other categories are:
- Pharmacist (Entry Grade), Level 5: 120 posts
- Health and Malaria Inspector Grade II, Level 6: 43 posts
- Lab Assistant Grade II, Level 3: 31 posts
- Radiographer / X-Ray Technician, Level 5: 25 posts
- ECG Technician, Level 4: 4 posts
- Optometrist, Level 4: 2 posts
- Audiologist and Speech Therapist, Level 5: 2 posts
- Dialysis Technician, Level 6: 1 post
Starting basic pay ranges from Rs 21,700 a month at Level 3 to Rs 44,900 at Level 7 under the 7th Central Pay Commission, before allowances.
Eligibility and fees
Qualifications vary by post. Nursing Superintendent requires a GNM diploma or BSc Nursing with registration; Pharmacist requires a Diploma or Bachelor's in Pharmacy with registration; Lab Assistant requires a DMLT or equivalent, Testbook reported. Applicants must be Indian citizens or subjects of Nepal or Bhutan.
Age limits range between 18 and 40 years depending on the post, with relaxation of 3 years for OBC, 5 years for SC/ST and up to 15 years for persons with benchmark disabilities. The application fee is Rs 500 for general and OBC candidates, of which Rs 400 is refunded after appearing in the exam, and Rs 250 for SC, ST, PwBD, women and EWS candidates, refundable in full after the exam.
Selection will be through a computer-based test (CBT), followed by document verification and a medical examination, according to Testbook. The CBT date has not been announced; RRBs typically publish the exam schedule after the application window closes. Oliveboard noted that questions in previous paramedical CBTs covered professional ability, general awareness, general arithmetic, general intelligence and reasoning, and general science.
The cycle is one of the few central-government openings this year for registered nurses, pharmacists and allied health technicians.
What happens next
Candidates should watch the RRB websites for the full CEN 05/2026 notification on 15 September, which will confirm zone-wise vacancies, the exact qualification wording and the application link. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on 14 October. A modification window and the CBT date are expected to be announced separately.