RBE No.118/2025: Validity of Sports Achievement Certificates for Railway Recruitment – Full Explanation
The Railway Board has issued a fresh clarification through RBE No.118/2025 regarding the validity of sports achievement certificates for recruitment and other establishment matters in Indian Railways. This new instruction replaces all earlier guidelines and aims to bring complete uniformity, transparency, and dispute-free processing across all Zonal Railways and Production Units.
Below is a simple and clear explanation of the latest rules.
🔍 What RBE No.118/2025 Is About
RBE No.118/2025 provides updated instructions on which sports certificates are valid for recruitment under the sports quota in Indian Railways. The main purpose is to ensure that only certificates issued by National Sports Federations (NSFs) recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MoYAS) are accepted, thereby eliminating confusion and legal issues.
This clarification becomes important because MoYAS has now created a re-engineered digital portal where the recognition status of NSFs is updated regularly.
🏅 Key Highlights of RBE No.118/2025
1. Recognition by MoYAS = Recognition by Railways
If any National Sports Federation is recognized by MoYAS for a particular sports discipline, it will automatically be considered recognized by the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).
This recognition will apply for:
- Sports quota recruitment
- All establishment-related matters in Indian Railways
This rule ensures consistency across all railway units.
2. Only NSF-Recognized Certificates Will Be Valid
For all future recruitments, Railways will accept only those sports certificates that are:
- Issued by MoYAS-recognized NSFs, and
- Issued for recognized sports achievements
No recruitment will be allowed based on certificates issued for championships conducted by an unrecognized federation at the time of that event.
3. Mandatory Verification Through MoYAS Website
All Zonal Railways and Production Units must verify:
- The recognition status of the concerned NSF
- The validity of the candidate’s sports certificates
This verification must be done at the time of recruitment through the official MoYAS portal:
🔗 https://yas.nic.in/sports/recognised-sports-federation-or-bodies
4. Past Cases Will Not Be Reopened
Any previously settled or decided cases under earlier instructions will not be reconsidered or reopened.
This prevents administrative burden and protects the finality of old decisions.
5. RSPB Will Resolve Ambiguity
If any confusion arises regarding:
- Whether a federation was recognized at a particular time
- Validity of certificates
The matter must be referred to the Railway Sports Promotion Board, which will seek clarification directly from MoYAS.
📌 Summary of RBE No.118/2025
- Railways will only accept sports certificates from MoYAS-recognized NSFs.
- Verification must be done using the official MoYAS portal.
- Old cases will remain undisturbed.
- RSPB will help resolve any doubts.
This new guideline strengthens transparency in recruitment and ensures that only genuine, recognized sports achievements are considered.