At 18.7 per cent, manpower deficiency highest in CISF amongst all central police forces

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, August 6

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has the highest quantum of manpower deficiency amongst six Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) that are mandated for border guarding and internal security duties under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The CISF, responsible for guarding sensitive industrial establishments as well as undertaking security duties at airports across the country has a posted strength of 1,51,925 personnel against the sanctioned strength of 1,86,924, accounting for a deficiency of 18.7 per cent.

The overall deficiency of manpower in the CAPFs is 9.1 per cent, with the combined posted strength being 9,50,118 at present against the sanctioned strength of 10,45,751, according to information shared by the Ministry in Parliament on Tuesday. To cater to the deficiency of 95,683 personnel, 64,091 vacancies are in the process of being filled.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is the largest amongst all CAPFs and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) that guards the border with China, have a deficiency of 9.9 per cent and 8.9 per cent, respectively. The posted strength of CRPF is 2,98,033 against the sanctioned strength of 3,30,851 while the posted strength of the ITBP is 90,000 against the sanctioned strength of 98,858.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that guards the borders with Nepal and Bhutan, and the Assam Rifles (AR) that guards the border with Myanmar as well as undertakes internal security duties in the north-east, have a manpower shortage of 5.9 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively. The SSB has a posted strength of 91,922 against the sanctioned strength of 97,774 while the AR has a posted strength of 62,575 against the sanctioned strength of 65,536.

The Border Security Force (BSF), said to be the world’s largest border guarding force that is responsible for the peacetime management of the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has the shortfall of 4.5 percent, the lowest amongst the CAPFs. The present posted strength of the BSF is 2,55,663 personnel against the sanctioned strength of 2,65,808, according to the Ministry’s data.

Replying to a question by Members of Parliament Khalilur Rahaman and Bhartruhari Mahtab, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that 67,345 persons have been recruited between April 2023 to February 2024 and that a further 64,091 vacancies have been notified which are in different stages of recruitment.

Listing out steps taken by the central government to fill up the vacancies in the CAPFs expeditiously, the minister said that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the Staff Selection Commission for carrying out yearly recruitment for general duty constables and a nodal force has been nominated for a long term basis for coordinating recruitment in each CAPF.

Further directions have been issued to all CAPFs to undertake recruitment against vacant posts in non-general duty cadres in a time-bound manner and conduct timely meetings of the departmental promotion committees for filling up of promotional vacancies. The time taken for the medical examination has also been reduced.