The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, today informed the Rajya Sabha that there were 1.09 lakh vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles as on January 1, with the recruitment for 72,689 posts ongoing. The Minister replied to a written question. He also provided the data on the sanctioned strength, actual strength, and vacancies in the central paramilitary forces. The data showed that sanctioned strength in these forces went up from 10,04,980 in 2021 to 10,67,110 in 2025 as of January 1. As of January 1, there were 109,868 vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Currently, 72,689 vacancies for various posts have been announced for recruitment, which is currently in progress. In response to a question regarding the significant number of vacancies in the six central paramilitary forces, the minister denied the assertion. "Vacancies in CAPFs and AR arise on account of retirements, resignations, promotion, death, new raising of a Battalion, creation of new posts, etc. Filling up of vacancies is a continuous process," Rai said. The ministry has been actively working to fill vacancies quickly through the UPSC, SSC, and relevant forces, according to Rai. As an example of these efforts, he mentioned a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to expedite recruitment for the position of Constable (General Duty). He stated that all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Assam Rifles have been directed to hire personnel for vacant positions in Non-General Duty roles promptly. To accelerate the recruitment process, the ministry has implemented several measures, including conducting timely meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) to address promotional vacancies, reducing the time required for medical examinations, and lowering the cut-off marks for shortlisting candidates for Constable and General Duty positions, Rai added. (with inputs from PTI)
