‘Over 93,000 posts vacant in CAPFs’
New Delhi: More than 93,000 posts are lying vacant in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai presented vacancies data in the paramilitary forces, showing that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has the highest number of vacancies at 27,400, followed by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with 28,342 vacant posts.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has 14,531 vacancies, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has 12,333, and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has 6,784 vacant positions. The Assam Rifles has 3,749 vacancies, taking the total to 93,139 posts.
Responding to concerns about whether the vacancies have affected law enforcement, internal security and disaster response capabilities, Rai said the forces are continuing to perform their responsibilities effectively.
“Forces are discharging all duties in a highly professional manner through optimal utilisation of available resources,” he said.
The minister added that filling vacancies in CAPFs and Assam Rifles is a continuous process, with recruitment being carried out through agencies such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
He said several measures have been taken to expedite recruitment, including annual recruitment for Constable (General Duty) posts through the SSC, nomination of a nodal force to coordinate recruitment for key ranks, and the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology during physical tests to streamline the selection process.
The government has also reduced the time taken for medical examinations and lowered cut-off marks for shortlisting candidates in categories facing shortfalls to ensure adequate recruitment, Rai said.
Regular meetings of departmental promotion committees are also being conducted to fill promotional vacancies and accelerate the manpower augmentation process, he added.
