Govt mulls options to fill up 3,400 vacancies in IAS,IPS, IFoS

New Delhi, June 12, 2012 : (PTI) Concerned over 3,400 vacancies in all-India services, the central government is considering various options including increase in intake of officers selected through Civil Services Examinations and has expedited efforts to fill up the posts.
Sources in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances
and Pensions, which acts as the nodal department, have said
the government has started reviewing the vacancies in
consultations with the cadre controlling authorities at both
the states and the Centre.
They said a meeting is likely to be held this month to
find ways to fill up a total of 3,408 posts in Indian
Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and
Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
Of the total, the highest number of 1,777 vacancies are
in IAS followed by 1,255 in IPS and 376 in IFoS, including
posts filled through promotions.
"There are large number of vacancies in the various
cadres of the all-India services which, in the long run, may
hamper the efficient functioning of the administration. The
Ministry is considering alternatives to fill such vacancies in
a time-bound manner," an official said.
He said the government may consider increasing number of
officers selected through the Civil Services Examinations
(CSE).
"We will be soon holding a meeting with the Union Public
Service Commission and the Finance Ministry in this regard.
The state governments and Union Territory administrations will
also be asked to give their views on the matter," the official
said.
The cadre strength of IAS is 6,154 followed by 4,730 in
IPS and 3,078 in IFoS.
     The official said the government will also review the
strength of all-India service officers in the states.
"Every year the government is increasing intake of IAS
officers to be selected through CSE. In 2002, 70 officers were
selected through CSE which has now reached 180 notified
vacancies this year. The government is doing its best to fill
up the vacancies," he said.
Of the total vacancies in IAS, a maximum of 216 posts are
to be filled up in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 118 in Madhya
Pradesh and 116 in Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-UTs (AGMUT)
cadres.
As many as 128 posts are lying vacant in Bihar, 112 in
Rajasthan, 100 in Jharkhand, 92 in Andhra Pradesh, 80 in
Karnataka, 78 in Odisha, 70 in Manipur-Tripura, 69 in Tamil
Nadu, 60 in Punjab, 56 in Kerala, 55 in Maharashtra, 54 in
Chhattisgarh, 52 in Gujarat and 46 in Jammu and Kashmir among
others.
"The proposals of the state governments are also being
considered as per the provision under IAS (Cadre) Rules, which
mandate the Union government to re-examine the strength of IAS
cadres in consultation with the state governments at intervals
of every five years," the official said.
Acting on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs,
the UPSC has also decided to fill the vacancies of IPS through
a Limited Competitive Examination. "There is an increase in
the number of IPS officers to be selected through CSE. The
Commission will recruit at least 150 IPS through CSE this
year," he said.
The official said the vacancies in Indian Forest Service
are not large. "There are 135 vacant posts to be filled up
through direct recruitment. The Ministry of Environment and
Forests, which is the cadre controlling authority for the
IFoS, is taking steps to fill them up," he said.