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Concerns have been raised by the Opposition regarding vacancies in security forces, particularly in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. The government has revealed an estimate showing that Assam Rifles and five other paramilitary forces, including the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), together have 1.11 lakh vacancies. To address this, the government is in the process of recruiting 43,130 new personnel to fill these gaps.
Current Staffing and Vacancies in Paramilitary Forces
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as of January 1 this year, the total sanctioned strength of six key paramilitary forces is 10.59 lakh. This includes the Assam Rifles, BSF, CISF, CRPF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). However, only 9.47 lakh personnel are currently serving in these forces, leaving 1.11 lakh vacancies.
Among the paramilitary forces, Assam Rifles, BSF, ITBP, and SSB mainly handle border duties. The MHA shared these figures with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, and the information was included in a report tabled during the Budget Session in Parliament.
The report also detailed the specific number of vacancies in each force. The largest number of vacancies is in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with 43,250 unfilled positions, followed by the CRPF with 34,860 vacancies, and the BSF with 14,367 vacancies. Other forces such as Assam Rifles have 3,769 vacancies, ITBP has 10,249, and SSB has 5,189.
Is staff Shortage responsible for Pahalgam Attack?
You might be thinking that due to staff shortage, the Pahalgam attack incident happened. But government has denied this. Despite the opposition’s questions about the vacancies, government officials have assured that staff vacancies have not affected the operational readiness of the security forces. The Government has said that the Indian Armed Forces are active 24×7 to protect the borders of India. The MHA has also emphasized that the recruitment process is ongoing, with 43,130 personnel currently in the process of joining the forces.
The Pahalgam Terror Attack incident occured due to a big conspiracy and the inhumane attitude of Pakistan which provides shelter to Terrorists.
Representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Women in Paramilitary Forces
The MHA also shared data on the representation of different social groups in these forces. As of the latest report, there are 1.61 lakh personnel from Scheduled Castes (SC) and 1.06 lakh from Scheduled Tribes (ST) within the forces.
In terms of women’s representation, the numbers remain relatively low despite ongoing efforts to increase female participation in security forces. Of the total workforce, women make up 42,470 personnel across the forces.
- In the BSF, which has a total strength of 2.58 lakh, there are only 11,404 women.
- The CRPF, with a strength of 2.96 lakh, has 10,086 women.
- The CISF, with a total of 10,629 personnel, has the same number of women, 10,629.
- Assam Rifles, with a workforce of 61,767, has 2,513 women.
- The ITBP, which has 88,610 personnel, includes 3,722 women.
- The SSB, with a total of 92,690 personnel, has 4,116 women.
These figures highlight the need for continued efforts to encourage more women to join the paramilitary forces, though there has been progress in recent years.
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