CHENNAI, DEC 17 : Eight staff members from Southern Railway were chosen for the prestigious Railway Board awards to be presented during the 69th Railway Week celebrations to be held in New Delhi on December 21. Christened as ‘Athi Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar,’ award is presented to the employees of Indian Railways every year for showcasing exemplary performance and outstanding service in their field of work.

Instituted to recognize and reward exceptional contributions towards the growth and efficiency of Indian Railways, the Railway Week awards are celebrated annually to commemorate the commissioning of the first passenger train in India on April 16, 1853. Announced at the Railway Board level and conferred by the Union Minister of Railways, the award holds the highest significance in a Railway employee’s career, a Southern Railway release said here on Tuesday.

It is indeed a proud moment for Southern Railway as eight of the Zone’s outstanding employees will be conferred with the ‘Athi Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar 2025’ during the Central function of the 69th Railway Week event.

Those chosen for the awards included two Gazetted Officers and six non-gazetted staff. The Gazetted Officers are Manjunath Yadav, Sr.Divisional Electrical Engineer,Madurai, and Boopathy Raja M, Sr. Divisional Commercial Manager, Salem.

The Non-Gazetted staff are A. Jawber Ali, Station Superintendent, Madurai, Tijo Kuriakose, Senior Technician, Perambur Loco Workshop, Nandini Jagadeesan, Chief Nursing Superintendent, Southern Railway Headquarters, Nandakumar. S, Train Ticket Inspector/Head Ticket Collector/Dy. CTI, Chennai, Girdhari Prasad Gond, Loco Pilot Goods (Electrical), Chennai, and T. M. Gopalakrishnan, Senior Section Engineer, Golden Rock Workshop, Trichy.

Southern Railway extend its heartfelt congratulations to the awardees for their exemplary dedication and outstanding contribution.