BABU SHORTAGE

At a time when the Modi sarkar, barely months away from the 2019 general elections, needs fast decision-making and implementation, it is faced with an acute shortage of IAS and IPS officers. According to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), posts of 1,449 IAS officers and 970 IPS officers are lying vacant apart from other vacancies in Central government ministries and departments.

The total posts vacant in Central government are 15,284 in Grade A and 26,310 in Grade B (Gazetted). The sanctioned posts at Group A level in Central government departments are 117,285, while the number of employees is 101,901. Similarly, in Group B (Gazetted), the sanctioned posts are 136,079, while posts occupied are 109,769.

While all state cadres are facing a shortage of IAS and IPS officers, the worst hit are states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

Curiously, despite the crunch, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in its February 2018 notification had announced the hiring of 782 IAS, IFS and IPS officers in all. Last year, the UPSC had announced the recruitment of 980 officers. This was considered the lowest in the last five years, however, this year it went down even further. Arvind Saxena, the acting chairman of UPSC since June, may need to step up the pace. Meanwhile, DoPT Secretary B.P. Sharma says that "filling up of posts is a continuous process depending on vacancies arising across Ministries/Departments during the years and action calendars of the recruiting agencies." But clearly, it is not happening fast enough.