New Delhi: Over 2,800 posts are lying vacant across the country’s top civil services including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS), the government informed the Rajya Sabha.
The data was shared in a written reply by Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh in response to a question raised by John Brittas, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Over 1,400 IAS Posts Vacant
According to the figures tabled in Parliament, the IAS has a sanctioned strength of 6,858 officers, of which 5,457 are currently in position, leaving 1,401 posts vacant-roughly 20.4 per cent of the total sanctioned strength.
In the IPS, against a sanctioned strength of 4,984 officers, 4,100 are in service, resulting in 884 vacancies, or about 17.7 per cent.
The IFS has a sanctioned strength of 3,193 officers, with 2,644 officers in position, leaving 549 posts unfilled, approximately 17.2 per cent.
The data highlights the gap between approved strength and actual deployment across the three All India Services.
AGMUT Cadre Tops Vacancy List
Among cadres, the AGMUT cadre, which includes Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories such as Delhi, has the highest number of vacancies at 267.
Uttar Pradesh follows with 215 vacant posts, making it one of the worst-affected large states in terms of officer shortages.
The cadre-wise data reflects uneven distribution of vacancies across states and Union Territories, raising concerns about administrative capacity in several regions.
Recruitment Through UPSC
The government said recruitment to the IAS, IPS and IFS is conducted annually through the Civil Services Examination by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
However, despite yearly recruitment, vacancies continue due to factors such as retirements, promotions, attrition, and periodic increases in sanctioned strength.
The issue of cadre shortages has been raised repeatedly in Parliament, particularly in the context of growing governance responsibilities across sectors such as law and order, environmental protection, infrastructure, and welfare delivery.
The Centre said it reviews cadre strength and recruitment processes from time to time to address the shortfall in the country’s top civil services.
