Accidents, safety issues: a balancing act for Railway Board chairman

Late last month, the Ministry of Railways created a historic first for the second time in as many years. A year after Jaya Varma Sinha was appointed the first woman chairperson and CEO of the Railway Board, the Cabinet Appointments Committee appointed Satish Kumar as the board’s chief — the first Dalit to hold the post.

In the corridors of Rail Bhawan, Kumar was seen as a contender but hardly a frontrunner for the top post, making his appointment a surprise to many. Frontrunners included four sitting members of the board of directors.

Kumar