MUMBAI: In a decision that can be dubbed as the 'election-year decision' the Maharashtra state cabinet on Wednesday decided to fill up 36,000 vacant posts across 10 govt departments.
During the budget session of the state assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured the house that the 76,000 vacant posts would be filled up on the priority basis.
"Accordingly the government has decided to fill up 36,000 posts this year and remaining 36,000 posts would be filled up next year," a senior CMO official told The New Indian Express.
According to the cabinet decision 11,005 posts in rural development, 10,568 posts in public health, 7,111 posts in home, 2,572 posts in agriculture and 1,664 posts in urban development along with other around 1,300 posts in four other departments would be filled up this year.
The state government has around 19 lakh approved posts of employees in all categories of which the employee unions have said that over 1 lakh posts are currently vacant. Though the state government decided to bare an additional burden of over Rs 21,000 crore towards revised pay as per seventh pay commission last year, the finance department had almost simultaneously initiated a study aimed at cutting down the government work force by almost 30 per cent.
In filling up the additional posts, the administration aims at empowering rural administration. This will help gear up the agriculture and rural development related activities said agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar after the cabinet meeting. This is part of the government's efforts for comprehensive development of agriculture sector in the state, he added.