Indian Railways will honour 100 officers and employees with the 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar 2025 at a national award ceremony to be held on 9 January 2026 at the India International Convention and Expo Centre Yashobhoomi in Dwarka New Delhi.
The awards will be conferred by Union Minister for Railways Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. The ceremony will also be attended by Ministers of State for Railways V Somanna and Ravneet Singh along with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Board Satish Kumar members of the Railway Board and General Managers of Railway Zones and Production Units.
A total of 100 awardees have been selected for exemplary service and outstanding contributions across a wide range of operational and professional areas including innovation safety security revenue enhancement project execution sports excellence and distinguished service.
Seventeen officers and employees will be recognised for introducing innovations processes and procedures that improved productivity reduced expenditure supported import substitution and enabled more efficient use of resources. Twenty two personnel will be honoured for acts of exceptional courage and selfless service performed in disregard of personal safety to protect lives and railway property.
Fourteen officers and staff members will receive awards for significant contributions to revenue augmentation and vigilance including curbing ticketless travel theft and other malpractices. Nineteen employees will be recognised for operational excellence including improvements in safety security maintenance practices and protection and optimal utilisation of railway assets.
Sixteen officers and employees will be honoured for completing major railway projects within record timelines contributing to infrastructure expansion capacity enhancement and improved operational performance. Ten awardees will be recognised for outstanding performance in other fields reflecting professional excellence and impactful contributions across diverse functions. Two sportspersons who achieved national and international recognition and brought laurels to Indian Railways will also be conferred the award.
In addition to individual honours 26 shields will be presented to the best performing railway zones across various categories acknowledging institutional excellence and sustained performance.
The list of awardees includes personnel who ensured safe and seamless railway operations during large scale events such as the Mahakumbh as well as officers whose contributions during Operation Sindoor enabled uninterrupted rail services and public relief under challenging conditions. The honours also recognise teams that introduced advanced ballast cleaning machines in difficult sections significantly improving track safety ride quality and long term maintenance efficiency.
The ceremony underscores Indian Railways commitment to recognising dedication professionalism and exemplary service while celebrating the collective efforts of its workforce in building a safer more efficient and passenger centric rail system.
