Over 8.23 Lakh Central Government Posts Vacant, RTI Reply Reveals
Nearly one in five sanctioned civil posts remains unfilled as youth continue to face intense competition for government jobs.
Bhopal: At a time when unemployment and the growing competition for government jobs remain major concerns for millions of young people, a Right to Information reply has revealed that more than 8.23 lakh sanctioned posts are vacant across various central government civil organisations.
The figures do not include vacancies in public sector banks or public sector undertakings.
According to information obtained through the RTI by activist Chandrashekhar Gaur, the central government had a total of 39,23,212 sanctioned civil posts as of March 1, 2024. However, only 30,99,556 employees were working against these positions.
This means that 8,23,656 sanctioned posts were vacant, representing nearly 21 percent of the total sanctioned workforce. In simple terms, more than one out of every five sanctioned posts remained unfilled.
Gaur expressed concern over the figures, particularly at a time when a large number of young people are struggling to find employment.
“Government jobs are the right of the youth. The government should initiate the process of filling these vacancies on high priority. This will not only provide employment to the youth but also improve the efficiency of the departments,” he said.
The RTI data also shows that vacancies exist even in some of the country’s highest administrative offices.
In the President’s Secretariat, 516 employees were working against 803 sanctioned posts, leaving 287 positions vacant. This represents a vacancy rate of 35.74 percent.
The Prime Minister’s Office also has a significant number of vacant positions. Against 441 sanctioned posts, only 315 employees were working, leaving 126 posts unfilled. The vacancy rate stands at 28.57 percent.
The information was provided by the Pay Research Unit of the Department of Expenditure on August 19. The figures reflect the vacancy position across the concerned central government civil organisations as of March 1, 2024.
The data has once again drawn attention to the large gap between sanctioned government positions and the number of employees actually working in them, while millions of young people continue to compete for limited government employment opportunities.