Indian Railway Codes and Manuals-Stores code- Vol-I-Chapter-1 (I)
INTRODUCTORY ORGANISATION
101. The
Controller of Stores.—The administration and control of the stores of a railway
will be conducted by the Stores Department, under the supervision of a
Controller of Stores. On him will devolve the duty of ascertaining
the needs of a railway in the matter of materials and stores and of arranging
for the supply of such materials and stores in the most efficient, economical
and expeditious manner possible. He will be responsible for
their receipt, inspection and distribution to the various stores depots, for
their custody while in-charge of the stores department and finally for their
issue on requisitions received from authorised officials of the railway. He
will be in-charge of inventory control.
102. The stocks of certain groups
of the stores required by a railway have often to be held by the users at the
place of work:—
(i) To avoid piecemeal requisitioning of
stores from the Stores Department,
(ii) For use in emergencies, so as to
safeguard against delays or detentions in transportation, and
(iii) In some cases, in consideration of
the special nature of the material stocked and of the transportation of such
material.
Such stores are :-
(i) Permanent way or other engineering
material in the custody of Permanent Way Inspectors and Inspectors of Works.
(ii) Locomotive, carriage and wagon parts
and electrical stores in running sheds, signal stores, train examining stations
and in-charge of out-door electrical chargeman and signal inspectors
respectively.
(iii) Stores in workshops waiting to be
used in repairs or manufacture of locomotive and carriage and wagon duplicates.
(iv) Stores which have been purchased for
special works, and charged to such works, but
(a) left in the custody of the
Stores Department (Custody Stores),
or
(b) lying at site of work
(materials-at site).
103. Functions
of the Controller of Stores.—All Stocks of stores on hand, whether with the
Stores Department or other departments of the Railway, represent funds that are
not productive. While stocks should be such that stores
required by the railway are readily available, they should be as small as
possible, and losses due to obsolescence or deterioration should be the minimum
practicable. The centralized control that is required
for this purpose will vest in the Controller of Stores who will be the head of
Stores Department and will be responsible for the—
(a) purchase and inspection,
and
(b) custody and issue of railway
stores.
104. All materials and stores
for which the consuming departments have no immediate use should be returned to
the Stores Depots, the Controller of Stores being responsible for their survey
and valuation, and for disposal by sale or otherwise. He has
also to deal with all the surplus, and unserviceable material of the railway.
105. Nomenclature-cum-Price List.—He
should issue and maintain upto-date a Nomenclature-cum-Price List including all
items of stores in stock in the Stores Depots. Each separate item of stores in
this list should be assigned a number and this number as well as the
description should be quoted on all requisitions, receipt, issue and other
documents relating to that item.
106. The Controller of Stores
is not a Disbursing Officer, nor he is required to keep any general accounts of
the stores transactions of the railway. His duties in this respect will be
limited to the maintenance of numerical records of stores in stock and to the
preparation of the initial documents of receipt and issue.
107. General Supervisory
Control.—The Controller of Stores should arrange for submission to him of such
statements and returns as may be necessary to keep him informed of the stocks
available in his depots, the manner in which the requisitions of the
departments are being complied with, the inflow of materials not required by
departments and the steps taken to dispose of surplus and unserviceable
stores.
108. Planning of Supplies of
Stores.—The Controller of Stores is responsible for preparing a correct
estimate of the quantities of stores to be purchased or manufactured in the
railway workshops each year and for making the most advantageous arrangements
possible for the economic purchase of stores. In this, he will be guided by the
Purchase Policy Rules, the Contract Rules and the rules prescribing the
purchase of certain articles through specified agencies, i.e. the Railway Board
and the DGS&D. The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals is the
biggest agency and it has been set up with the object of collecting together
the requirements of the various government departments and making bulk purchases
at the most economic rates. The purchase through the agency of the Directorate
General of Supplies and Disposals is normally obligatory subject to some
monetary limits in the case of a large number of articles for items other than
Rly. Board specified exclusive railway items and, in respect of such purchases,
the Controller of Stores should work in closed co-ordination with that
department, while watching the interests of the railway administration.
Stationery, printing stores and office machinery and appliances for all
government departments and for railways are similarly purchased through the
Controller of Printing and Stationery. Supplies of wooden sleepers are arranged
for through an organisation known as the Sleepers Pool. Mathematical Instruments
are to be obtained through the National Instruments (Private) Ltd.,
Calcutta.
109. Purchase of Stores.—The
purchase of all other stores should be arranged for by the Controller of
Stores, under the orders of the General Manager, subject to certain reservations
which the Railway Board have made regarding the call of tenders and for the
letting out of contracts for certain items of stores, such as coal, rails,
cast-iron sleepers, and rolling stock. In respect of items earmarked for
procurement by the Railway Board, the Controller of Stores will ensure timely
submission of indents as in the case of DGS&D items.
STORES DEPOTS
110. Nature &
Distribution of Stocks.—For the purposes of maintenance and distribution, the
stores are divided into General Stores & Engineering Stores including
permanent way stores. The organisation for the control of stocks of permanent
way materials is generally under the direction of an officer designated the
Track Supply Officer who, with his staff of any separate permanent-way depot
that may exist, constitutes a self-contained branch of the Stores Department.
It will be the duty of the Track Supply Officer to maintain close co-operation
between the Controller of Stores and the Chief Engineer.
111. Materials are stocked at
suitable points on the line in stores depots under Depot Officers subordinate
to the Controller of Stores. In addition, imprest stocks of stores are also
sanctioned to categories of subordinates, such as Running Shed Foreman, Train
Examiners, Electrical Chargeman, Permanent Way Inspectors, &c.
112. Location of Stores
Depots.— For facility of work, there should ordinarily be:
(i) A Locomotive Stores Depot attached to and
serving the main locomotive workshops of the railway, steam, diesel and
electric.
(ii) A Carriage and Wagon Stores Depot similarly
attached to the main carriage and wagon shops.
(iii) A Signal Stores Depot serving the Signal
shops, if any.
(iv) One or more Permanent-way Material Depots
for storing permanent way and bridge materials.
(v) Stationery Depot.
(vi) One or more stores depots or yards for
collecting all scrap and unserviceable material. Such depots should be situated
in or near the best market for the disposal of such articles,
(vii) Other General Stores Depots as found
necessary. No new Stores Depot should be formed without the sanction of the
General Manager such sanction being recorded in the minutes of Official
Meetings.
113. Stock Items.—Such Items will
be kept in the custody of the Stores Department which are frequently and
regularly required and whose unit cost justifies incurring inventory carrying
cost associated with these items. Such items will be known as 'Stock'
items.
114. Ordinary Stores.—Ordinary
Stores are generally such items of Stores for which there is a regular turnover
caused by a constant demand and which are stocked by the Stores Department in
its Depot.
115. Emergency Stores.—The
depots have also to stock certain items of stores though they do not have a
regular turnover caused by a constant demand. These are 'Emergency Stores' and
comprise items of stores which do not ordinarily wear out or require renewal,
which have, however, to be kept in stock to meet emergencies, such as that due
to breakage or unanticipated deterioration, and which are not readily
obtainable. The stock cards relating to such stores should be marked with the
letter 'E'.
116. Non-stock Items.—All
items other than 'stock' items will be called "Non-stock1 items. These
items may, however, be described in the Standard Nomenclature List No purchase
of such items will be made for stock purposes.
117. Special
Stores.—These are stores required for works and other special purposes i.e.
other than for 'operation' or ' ordinary maintenance and repairs' and which are
ordinarily dispatched directly to the requisitionist without being stocked in a
stores depot.
118. Surplus Stores.—These
are of two kinds, 'Moveable' and 'Dead'. Moveable Surplus Stores
comprise items of stores which have not been issued for a period of 24 months,
but which, it is anticipated, will be used in the near future. Dead Surplus
Stores comprise items of stores which have not been issued for 24 months and
which, it is considered, are not likely to be utilised on any railway within
next two years.
119. Such surplus stocks may
be the result either of changes in design, in specification, &c. of the
'stock items' of stores or of consuming departments returning to the depots
special items or stocks items of stores no longer required by them such stores
have to be held in custody in stores depots and steps taken for their prompt
disposal.
120. Surplus stores should be
distinguished from "over stocks" or ordinary stores (see paragraph
2230-2).
121. Main Depots.—The stock of each
depot should comprise only those materials or stores as are required in the
shop or Divisions which the depot serves.
122. Subject to the above
rule, each stock item should be allocated to one depot, the factor governing
the selection of the depot being generally the proximity to the base of supply.
The depot so nominated will be the Main Depot for the item, all other depots
which may stock the same item for issue in their respective territories being
'Subsidiary Depots' as far as that item is concerned. All orders for purchase
or manufacture by Workshops of an item of stores will be placed by the 'Main
Depot' for the item, the 'Subsidiary Depots' merely placing requisitions on the
Main Depot.
123. The assignment of one depot as
a Main Depot for an item of stores prevents the slow accumulation of surplus
stocks in each depot by individual direct purchases of stores, obviates loss of
valuable time involved in reference to each other depot to see whether surplus
stocks are available before a purchase order can be placed, and as will be seen
from the detailed procedure in paras 1414 to 1439, concentrates the surplus
stores of an item in one depot, viz., the Main Depot and therefore enables the
systematic working off of such surplus before purchases are resorted to.
124. Minima and Maxima.—A
minimum and maximum limit should be laid down for the quantity of each 'stock
item' of stores in a depot at any time below or above which the balances should
not ordinarily be allowed to go.
125. Minimum Stock.—The
minimum limit should be a quantity of stock representing an average weekly
issue multiplied by the number of weeks, which from past experience, it is
known will elapse from the date of placing an order before fresh stocks can
arrive at the depot. The minimum limit is therefore the lowest permissible
level to which the stock of an item may fall without a stock recoupment having
been sent forward for replenishment. It is the "Stock Order Point"
signifying the point at which the recoupment demand should be sent
forward.
126. In the case of items
arranged for on an annual contract basis, it is possible to keep the
"minimum" very low, because the time required to get fresh stocks is
merely the period required for placing a purchase order on the firm against the
annual contract. Supplies of items, which are merely purchased as and when
required, take a considerably longer time than supplies of items ordered up
against annual contract as the time factor must be adequate for the calling of
tenders, placing of order, and for the contractor to obtain his supplies after
receipt of the orders. As such, a system of as-and-when-required-purchases, in
addition to involving higher minima stocks being kept, results in the items
frequently running out of stock. Every endeavor should therefore be made to
place as many stock items as possible on annual contracts.
127. The minimum stock limit
should be fixed as low as possible depending upon the prevailing market
conditions and the proximity of the depot to the normal source of
supply101. The Controller of Stores.—The administration
and control of the stores of a railway will be conducted by the Stores
Department, under the supervision of a Controller of Stores. On him
will devolve the duty of ascertaining the needs of a railway in the matter of
materials and stores and of arranging for the supply of such materials and
stores in the most efficient, economical and expeditious manner
possible. He will be responsible for their receipt, inspection
and distribution to the various stores depots, for their custody while
in-charge of the stores department and finally for their issue on requisitions
received from authorised officials of the railway. He will be in-charge of
inventory control.
128. Maximum Stock.—The fixing
of the maximum limit is governed by the following factors :—
(i) Economic Size of
Each Order.—The "Maximum" is the lowest quantity that may be ordered
for at any time after providing that stores are never less than the prescribed
minimum. As orders for small-quantities at a time at frequent intervals would
result in increased cost of packing and other charges, including heavy clerical
and accounting work, cost of stationery and inconvenience to the suppliers, the
"maximum" should be carefully fixed with due consideration for this
factor.
(ii) Increased Lock up
of Capital.— On the other hand, the fixation of high limit would involve apart
from inventory carrying costs unnecessary locking up of capital, risk of
deterioration of stores, extra storage and protection arrangement, increased
labour charges, and accumulation of surplus by unnecessary advance purchase of
stores, which by the light of information available at a later date could
otherwise have been cancelled from the contract obligations under the clauses
empowering increase or decrease of the contracted quantity. (A working rule is
that the maximum should not ordinarily exceed twice the minimum limit
prescribed for an item).
129. Minima and
Maxima for Workshop Items.— Maximum and minimum stock limits for items
manufactured in railway workshops should be fixed in consultation with the
Works Manager of the shops concerned, taking into consideration the time taken
by the workshops to complete any recoupment orders placed on them.
130. Powers of the Controller of Stores.—The
financial and other powers of the Controller of Stores are such as are delegated
to him by the General Manager, within the" provisions of the Indian
Railway Codes and the rules and orders issued by Railway Board from time to
time.
131. Standards of Financial
Propriety.— In exercising these powers, the Controller of Stores should pay
strict regard to the standards of financial propriety among which are the
following:—
(i) The expenditure
should not prima facie be more than the occasion demands, and that every
government servant should exercise the same vigilance in respect of expenditure
incurred from public moneys as a person of ordinary prudence would exercise in
respect of the expenditure of his own money.
(ii) No authority should
exercise its powers of sanctioning expenditure to pass an order which will be
directly or indirectly to its own advantage.
(iii) Public money
should not be utilized for the benefit of a particular person or section of the
community, unless:—
(a) the
amount or expenditure involved is insignificant
or
(b) a
claim for the amount could be enforced in a court of law
or
(c) the
expenditure is in pursuance of a recognised policy or custom.
(iv) The amount of
allowances, such as travelling allowances, granted to meet expenditure of a
particular type, should be so regulated that the allowances are not on the
whole sources of profit to the recipients.
Note.—All proposals
involving financial implications except those which have been specifically
exempted for this purpose should be referred to finance branch for advice
before these are sanctioned.
132. Schedule of Powers of Purchase, Sales
&c, of the Controller of Stores/Chief Materials Manager.— It has been found
in practice that the powers of the General Manager in the matter of the
purchase, sales &c, of railway stores need not be delegated to Controller
of Stores/Chief Materials Manager beyond the limits shown in the schedule
below. These limits should not ordinarily be exceeded.
Subject to such
safeguards as may be laid down in consultation with the Financial Adviser and
Chief Accounts Officer and within the limits laid down by the General Manager,
the Controller of Stores may delegate powers of purchase to his subordinate
officers attached to his office, excepting where levels of delegations have
been fixed by the Board.
Note.—The expression
subordinate officers attached to his office occurring at the end of the above
sub-paragraph includes all Gazetted Officers under the Stores Department of the
Railways whether at the Headquarters, Depots or Divisions.
Multiple choice questions:
1.
Who supervises the Stores Department on a railway?
a) The General Manager
b) The Chief Engineer
c) The Controller of Stores
d) The Track Supply Officer
Answer: c) The Controller of Stores
2.
What are the responsibilities of the Controller of Stores?
a) Planning the railway timetable
b) Ascertaining the needs for materials and stores and arranging their supply
c) Conducting staff recruitment
d) Managing passenger services
Answer: b) Ascertaining the needs for materials and stores and
arranging their supply
3.
Why do certain groups of stores need to be held by users at the place of work?
a) To avoid theft
b) To facilitate emergency use and avoid delays
c) To reduce transportation costs
d) To ensure proper inventory control
Answer: b) To facilitate emergency use and avoid delays
4.
Which of the following is NOT a type of store held by users at the place of
work?
a) Permanent way or other
engineering materials
b) Office stationery
c) Locomotive, carriage, and wagon parts
d) Electrical stores
Answer: b) Office stationery
5.
What is the primary goal in managing stocks of stores on hand?
a) Maximizing inventory levels
b) Minimizing obsolescence or deterioration
c) Increasing the number of suppliers
d) Maximizing the number of items in stock
Answer: b) Minimizing obsolescence or deterioration
6.
Who is responsible for the purchase and inspection of railway stores?
a) The Chief Engineer
b) The General Manager
c) The Controller of Stores
d) The Track Supply Officer
Answer: c) The Controller of Stores
7.
What should be done with materials and stores that the consuming departments
have no immediate use for?
a) They should be stored
indefinitely
b) They should be returned to the Stores Depots
c) They should be discarded
d) They should be transferred to other departments
Answer: b) They should be returned to the Stores Depots
8.
What list should the Controller of Stores maintain up-to-date?
a) Employee directory
b) Nomenclature-cum-Price List
c) Inventory report
d) Project timeline
Answer: b) Nomenclature-cum-Price List
9.
Which of the following is NOT a function of the Controller of Stores?
a) Disbursing Officer
b) Maintaining numerical records of stores
c) Preparing initial documents of receipt and issue
d) Surveying and valuing returned materials
Answer: a) Disbursing Officer
10.
What should the Controller of Stores do to keep informed about stock levels?
a) Visit each depot weekly
b) Arrange for submission of statements and returns
c) Conduct monthly audits
d) Maintain personal records
Answer: b) Arrange for submission of statements and returns
11.
Through which agency should the purchase of stationery and printing stores for
all government departments and railways be arranged?
a) Railway Board
b) Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals
c) Controller of Printing and Stationery
d) Sleepers Pool
Answer: c) Controller of Printing and Stationery
12.
What is the purpose of a Locomotive Stores Depot?
a) To store emergency supplies
b) To manage office supplies
c) To serve the main locomotive workshops
d) To store construction materials
Answer: c) To serve the main locomotive workshops
13.
What type of items will be classified as 'Emergency Stores'?
a) Items frequently used
b) Items with a regular turnover
c) Items required to meet emergencies
d) Items that are obsolete
Answer: c) Items required to meet emergencies
14.
How are 'Special Stores' typically dispatched?
a) Through regular inventory
channels
b) Directly to the requisitionist
c) Stored in depots first
d) Through the General Manager’s office
Answer: b) Directly to the requisitionist
15.
What distinguishes 'Moveable Surplus Stores' from 'Dead Surplus Stores'?
a) Moveable Surplus Stores are
expected to be used soon
b) Dead Surplus Stores are frequently issued
c) Dead Surplus Stores are expected to be used soon
d) Moveable Surplus Stores are not expected to be used
Answer: a) Moveable Surplus Stores are expected to be used soon
16.
What should the stock of each depot comprise?
a) Only materials or stores required
in the shop or divisions which the depot serves
b) All available materials and stores
c) Emergency supplies only
d) Office stationery and administrative supplies
Answer: a) Only materials or stores required in the shop or
divisions which the depot serves
17.
How is the 'Main Depot' for an item of stores determined?
a) By the General Manager's
preference
b) By the Controller of Stores' decision
c) By the proximity to the base of supply
d) By the number of employees in the depot
Answer: c) By the proximity to the base of supply
18.
What is the main benefit of assigning one depot as a Main Depot for an item of
stores?
a) Increases the number of items in
stock
b) Prevents the slow accumulation of surplus stocks in each depot
c) Reduces the need for staff training
d) Ensures each depot has its own procurement process
Answer: b) Prevents the slow accumulation of surplus stocks in each
depot
19.
What does the 'minimum stock limit' represent?
a) The maximum quantity of stock to
be kept
b) The lowest permissible level to which the stock of an item may fall
c) The average monthly issue of an item
d) The total annual requirement of an item
Answer: b) The lowest permissible level to which the stock of an
item may fall
20.
What should be considered when fixing the 'maximum stock limit'?
a) Proximity to the base of supply
b) Economic size of each order
c) Number of employees in the depot
d) Frequency of stock audits
Answer: b) Economic size of each order
21.
How often should the 'minimum stock limit' be kept for items on an annual
contract basis?
a) Very low
b) Very high
c) Average level
d) Not specified
Answer: a) Very low
22.
What is a working rule for fixing the maximum stock limit for an item?
a) It should be ten times the
minimum limit
b) It should be twice the minimum limit
c) It should be half the minimum limit
d) It should be three times the minimum limit
Answer: b) It should be twice the minimum limit
23.
In exercising financial and other powers, what should the Controller of Stores
pay strict regard to?
a) Market trends
b) Standards of financial propriety
c) Employee satisfaction
d) Competitor strategies
Answer: b) Standards of financial propriety
24.
What should be done with all proposals involving financial implications?
a) Directly sanctioned by the
Controller of Stores
b) Referred to the finance branch for advice
c) Discussed in a general meeting
d) Sent to the Railway Board
Answer: b) Referred to the finance branch for advice
25.
What is included in the expression "subordinate officers attached to his
office"?
a) Only the staff at the
Headquarters
b) Only the staff in Depots
c) All Gazetted Officers under the Stores Department of the Railways
d) Only the staff in Divisions
Answer: c) All Gazetted Officers under the Stores Department of the
Railways
26.
What should be considered when fixing the minimum stock limit?
a) Average monthly issue of an item
b) Prevailing market conditions
c) Number of employees in the depot
d) Proximity of the depot to the normal source of supply
Answer: d) Proximity of the depot to the normal source of supply
27.
Who delegates the financial and other powers to the Controller of Stores?
a) The Railway Board
b) The General Manager
c) The Chief Engineer
d) The Finance Branch
Answer: b) The General Manager
28.
What should the maximum stock limit be based on?
a) The time taken for workshops to
complete recoupment orders
b) The number of employees in the depot
c) The total annual requirement of an item
d) The average weekly issue of an item
Answer: a) The time taken for workshops to complete recoupment
orders
29.
What is the purpose of placing as many stock items as possible on annual
contracts?
a) To increase the inventory
carrying cost
b) To reduce the minimum stock limit
c) To ensure items frequently run out of stock
d) To facilitate the calling of tenders
Answer: b) To reduce the minimum stock limit
30.
What should be regulated to avoid allowances becoming sources of profit to the
recipients?
a) The total annual requirement of
an item
b) The amount of allowances granted
c) The number of employees in the depot
d) The frequency of stock audits
Answer: b) The amount of allowances granted
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