New Delhi: The Union Government has revealed that over 1,300 posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 586 posts in the Indian Police Service (IPS) remain vacant across the country. This was disclosed by Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The Minister provided a detailed account of the sanctioned and in-position strength of the IAS, IPS, and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, highlighting significant shortfalls. As of January 1, 2024, the sanctioned strength of IAS officers stood at 6,858, against which only 5,542 officers are currently in service, leaving 1,316 posts vacant.

The situation in the IPS cadre is similar, with 4,469 officers in position against the sanctioned strength of 5,055, resulting in 586 vacancies. The Indian Forest Service (IFS) faces an even larger deficit, with 2,151 officers in service against a sanctioned strength of 3,193, leaving 1,042 posts vacant.

Dr Singh elaborated on the nature of the vacancies, explaining that they are divided between direct recruitment and promotion posts. Of the 1,316 vacant IAS posts, 794 are reserved for direct recruits through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE), while 522 are promotion posts. Similarly, in the IPS, 209 of the 586 vacant posts are for direct recruits, and 377 are promotion posts.

In the IFS, the 1,042 vacant posts include 503 for direct recruits and 539 for promotion candidates.

The recruitment of IAS, IPS, and IFS officers is conducted annually through the CSE administered by the UPSC. However, despite regular appointments, the vacancies persist due to a combination of factors such as retirements, delays in promotions, and state cadre issues.

Dr Singh also shared data on appointments made over the last five years, emphasizing diversity across General, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories.

For the IAS in 2022, 75 appointments were made from the General category, 45 from OBC, 29 from SC, and 13 from ST. Similarly, for the IPS, 83 General, 53 OBC, 31 SC, and 13 ST officers were recruited during the same period.

The IFS appointments during the CSE 2024 year included 43 General, 51 OBC, 22 SC, and 11 ST candidates.

The persistent vacancies in the IAS, IPS, and IFS cadres pose significant challenges to governance, law enforcement, and environmental conservation efforts in the country. With fewer officers in critical positions, the administrative machinery in several states faces strain, potentially affecting public service delivery.

The government has reiterated its commitment to filling these vacancies through enhanced recruitment efforts and expediting promotion processes. However, addressing the shortfall will require a sustained focus on systemic reforms and policy measures to ensure that the civil services operate at full capacity.

BI Bureau