Over 2,800 posts vacant in India’s premier All India Services

India’s three premier All India Services are facing a significant shortage of officers, with more than 2,800 positions currently vacant, the government informed Parliament on Feb 12.

The largest gap is in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which has 1,300 unfilled posts.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said that as per the Civil List compiled on Jan 1, 2025, the IAS has 1,300 vacancies, the Indian Police Service (IPS) has 505, and the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) has 1,029 posts unfilled.

“The total authorized strength of IAS officers across cadres is 6,877, against which 5,577 officers are in position. In the IPS, 4,594 officers are in place against a sanctioned strength of 5,099, while in the IFoS, 2,164 officers are in position against 3,193 sanctioned posts,” the reply said.

The IAS has a vacancy rate of about 18.9%, the IPS has around 9.9%, and the IFoS is the most affected, with 32.2% of posts vacant.

Overall, the three services have 2,834 vacant posts out of a combined sanctioned strength of 15,169, reflecting an overall vacancy rate of nearly 18.7%.

Cadre-wise, Uttar Pradesh has 571 IAS officers in position out of 652 sanctioned posts. Madhya Pradesh has 391 officers against 459 posts, and Maharashtra has 359 officers against 435 positions.

In the IPS, states including Bihar, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu report similar shortfalls. The IFoS shows significant gaps in multiple states.

Minister Singh also highlighted the representation of OBC, SC, and ST candidates over the last five years.

From the Civil Services Examination 2020 to 2024, 245 OBC, 135 SC, and 67 ST candidates were appointed to the IAS through direct recruitment.

In the IPS, 255 OBC, 141 SC, and 71 ST candidates joined, while in the IFoS, 231 OBC, 95 SC, and 48 ST candidates were recruited.

The data was shared in response to a question by CPI-M member John Brittas regarding vacancies and representation in the All India Services.