7,500 posts of cops lying vacant in Punjab, govt tells high court
A REPORT SUBMITTED IN HC SAYS THERE ARE 78,360 SANCTIONED POSTS OF CONSTABLES, HEAD CONSTABLES AND SIS; OF THESE, 70,806 ARE FILLED
The Punjab government told the high court that 7,554 posts of cops in three main categories are lying vacant.
A report submitted in the HC revealed that there are 78,360 sanctioned posts of constables, head constables and sub-inspectors and of that, 70,806 are filled up, the report says.
The report has been filed in a suo motu public interest litigation, in which the court is monitoring police reforms in two states of Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh and welfare schemes for them.
The report reveals that there are 61,397 sanctioned posts of constables, of which 56,366 have been filled up and 5,031 are vacant. At least 4,358 constables have been recruited in district and armed cadre. An examination for 1,156 constable posts was conducted on October 2022 for intelligence and investigation cadre and for 2,340 posts in technical support service cadre in September 2022, it says.
According to the report, of 13,685 sanctioned posts of head constables, 12,156 are filled up and 1,529 are vacant. Examination for 787 posts of head constables in investigation cadre was conducted in October 2022.
Of 3,278 sanctioned posts of sub-inspectors, 2,284 posts are filled up and 994 are vacant. An examination for recruitment of 827 sub-inspectors was conducted in September 2022.
The report has been filed by department of home affairs and justice deputy secretary Yaswant Singh. It also lists out details of welfare schemes for cops, including interest-free loans, creche facility, shagun scheme for class IV employees for their daughter’s marriage, Diwali cheques to the family members of Punjab police martyrs and scholarship scheme for wards of Punjab police martyrs.
The police are also running nine schools and have tied up with a bank for financial aid to family of deceased police officers. From August 2022, accidental insurance death cover has been increased from 30 lakh to 50 lakh, it says.