Over 1 lakh posts vacant in CAPFs: All you need to know

The government on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha there are more than 100,000 vacancies across different Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). In a written reply to the Upper House, minister of state (home), Nityanand Rai said majority of these vacancies are in the grade of constable.

Here’s all you need to know:

• The Border Security Force (BSF) has the highest number of vacancies at 28,926, followed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which has 26,506 vacancies, Rai said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), meanwhile, has 23,906 vacancies, he added.

• The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have 18,643 and 5,784 vacancies respectively, Rai further informed.

• The Assam Rifles, which is controlled by both the home and defence ministries, meanwhile, has 7,328 vacancies. It is also the oldest paramilitary force of India.

• Rai attributed vacancies in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles to resignations, retirements, deaths, new raising, creation of new posts, cadre reviews etc. He further said the government has taken expeditious steps to fill up the said vacancies.

• BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles and the elite National Security Guard (NSG) together constitute the CAPF. The nomenclature ‘CAPF,’ however, is generally used for the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB only.

• Of these, BSF, ITBP and SSB are border guarding organisations. While CRPF is deployed for anti-terrorist and anti-Maoist operations, CISF guards airports and other sensitive installations.

• The CAPFs are also frequently called upon to assist the police in maintenance of law and order. Also, while each of these forces is headed by a director general (DG), their overall in-charge is the Union home minister.

• Recruitment to these forces takes place through exams organised by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), or the respective service headquarters.

• Of these, the most well-known exam is the CAPF (Assistant Commandants) exam conducted by the UPSC. It takes place just once a year.

• At present, recruitment for 60,210 constables, 2,534 sub-inspectors and 330 assistant commandants is underway, Rai informed the Rajya Sabha.

(With PTI inputs)