Fill 10L vacancies in 1.5yrs: Modi to ministries, government departments
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ordered all the ministries and governmental departments to recruit people on a "mission mode" to fill up 10 lakh vacancies over the next year and a half. According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the directive came after Modi reviewed the status of human resources in all the ministries and departments.
Why does this story matter?
Modi's directive came amid the opposition's frequent criticism of the Centre over unemployment, highlighting a large number of positions lying vacant in various government sectors. Notably, in July 2021, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said that there were approximately 8.72 lakh vacant posts in various central government agencies as of March 1, 2020, in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
Modi's decision came after reviewing status of human resources
On Modi's move, the PMO tweeted, "PM Narendra Modi reviewed the status of human resources in all departments and ministries and instructed that recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the government in a mission mode in the next 1.5 years." Notably, the prime minister reportedly discussed a possible recruitment drive during a marathon four-hour meeting with all central government secretaries in April.
18-month deadline expires just before 2024 general election
The 18-month "mission mode" recruitment deadline set by Modi expires just four-five months before the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) government at the Centre seeks a new mandate from the people in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. After the opposition heavily highlighted the unemployment issue in the 2022 Assembly elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Modi's directive to accelerate the filling of vacant positions gains significance.
PM started process in April after Assembly elections
The total authorized strength of all central government departments was 40.05 lakh, while only 31.32 lakh were employed as of March 1, 2020. According to TOI, the prime minister in April stressed filling vacancies quickly and instructed officials to start the process within months. Following that, every governmental department and ministry created a list of job vacancies with respect to the authorized positions.
Union minister Anurag Thakur welcomes PM's directive
On Tuesday, Union minister Anurag Thakur tweeted his support for the recruitment initiative in response to Modi's directive. "PM @narendramodi ji has over the years made government more accountable and governance more people-centric, ensuring last-mile delivery," he tweeted. "Enhancing the strength of the Govt to meet the targets and opportunities towards the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is another major step (sic)," he added.
