AHMEDABAD: In a candid admission on the floor of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister disclosed that the specialised civic unit set up under the Director, Scheduled Caste Welfare Department to monitor atrocities remains structurally understaffed thereby weakening the very surveillance mechanism meant to safeguard vulnerable communities.
The sanctioned cadre strength of the unit includes: 3 posts of Joint Director (Vigilance), 1 post of Deputy Director (Citizen Cell), 5 posts of Social Welfare Officer (P.K.S), 42 posts of Assistant Social Welfare Officer (Project Officer), 6 posts of Social Welfare Inspector, 4 posts of Senior Clerk, 8 posts of Junior Clerk, 1 post of Research Officer, 3 posts of Research Assistant and 3 posts of Statistical Assistant, taking the total sanctioned strength to 76 posts.
Crucially, while the unit carries a sanctioned strength of 76 posts, only 58 are filled, leaving 18 vacancies that directly dilute field oversight, data tracking, and policy responsiveness across districts.
Out of 3 sanctioned posts of Joint Director (Vigilance), only 1 post is filled while 2 posts are vacant, both lying vacant for a period of one to three years.
The post of Deputy Director (Citizen Cell) is filled. But the most alarming void surfaces in the Social Welfare Officer (P.K.S) cadre, all 5 sanctioned posts of Social Welfare Officer (P.K.S) are vacant. Of these, 2 posts have been vacant for less than one year and 3 posts have remained vacant for one to three years.
Although operational cadres appear comparatively staffed 37 of 42 Assistant Social Welfare Officer posts filled the five vacancies here still mean fewer boots on the ground, weakening grassroots incident reporting and timely intervention.
Even analytical backbones are missing: all three Statistical Assistant posts remain vacant for over three years, signalling a long-term data vacuum that can distort policy calibration and trend analysis. The absence of statistical and research personnel implies that incident pattern mapping, predictive risk alerts, and evaluation of preventive schemes may be operating on incomplete datasets. Without robust analytics, monitoring risks becoming reactive rather than preventive, undercutting the unit’s foundational mandate of evidence-driven vigilance under the Scheduled Caste Welfare framework.
Overall, the data confirms: Total Posts 76; Filled Posts 58; Vacant Posts 18. Of these vacancies, 8 are within one year, 7 are pending for one to three years, and 3 have remained vacant for more than three years.
Responding to the vacancy crisis, the minister informed the House that recruitment actions are underway through multiple channels. Requisitions have been sent to the Gujarat Public Service Commission for Social Welfare Officers, while Research Assistant and Statistical Assistant posts are to be filled via the General Administration Department. Vigilance-level posts remain “under consideration,” indicating procedural movement but no definitive timelines.