NEW DELHI: The country’s administrative and police services have been gripped by a significant shortage of civil servants, official data showed.
As per the data shared in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, there are 1,316 vacancies in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 586 in the Indian Police Service (IPS).
A senior IAS officer, who wished anonymity, acknowledged that the shortages are causing a strain in the administrative system.
“The shortage of officers has resulted in additional responsibilities for many, with some handling multiple departments. This is affecting the pace of administrative decision-making and the execution of development schemes,” the officer said.
According to the official data, the sanctioned strength of IAS officers across India is 6,858. However, only 5,542 officers were in service as of January 1, 2024. Among the vacancies, 794 posts are to be filled up through direct recruitments, while 522 through promotions.
Similarly, in the IPS, the sanctioned strength is 5,055, while only 4,469 officers are currently in service. Of this, 209 vacancies are for direct recruits, and 377 to be filled up through promotions.
The Indian Forest Service (IFS) too faces similar challenges, with 1,042 vacancies. Of these, 503 posts are to be filled through direct recruitments and 539 through promotions.
The recruitment data from the 2022 civil services examination shows that 75 IAS officers were recruited that year - 45 from the Other Backward Castes category, 29 from the Scheduled Castes, 13 from the Scheduled Tribes, and 75 from the general category.
Similarly, 83 general, 53 OBC, 31 SC, and 13 ST candidates were inducted into the IPS. For the IFS, the appointments included 43 general, 51 OBC, 22 SC, and 11 ST officers in 2024.
Regionally, the highest number of IAS vacancies is in the AGMUT cadre, covering Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep. With 130 vacancies, AGMUT leads the list, followed by Bihar (115 vacancies), Maharashtra (89), Kerala (79), Uttar Pradesh (78).