On August 5, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth addressed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply, stating that the requested information
Centre Refuses To Share Details On Personnel Shortage In Army
On August 5, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth addressed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply, stating that the requested information was “a sensitive operational matter concerning national security” and that revealing such details would not be in the national interest. This response was given in answer to a question posed by Member of Parliament Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi, who had inquired whether the government was aware of shortages in various categories, including officers, soldiers, and medical officers, within the armed forces and what steps were being taken to address these vacancies.
Traditionally, the MoD has provided updates on personnel shortages. For example, on March 13, 2023, then Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Ajay Bhatt reported that, as of March 10, 2023, the Army had 8,070 officer vacancies and 127,673 vacancies among Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Other Ranks (ORs). Additionally, Bhatt mentioned that between January 1, 2023, and March 10, 2023, 613 officer positions and 19,065 JCO/OR positions were filled.
In the Indian Air Force, there is a shortage of 7,031 personnel. There is also a deficiency of 721 officers, 16 medical officers, 4,734 Airmen, and 113 Airmen of Medical Assistant trade among others, he said. In the Navy, there is a deficiency of 12,428 personnel. There is a shortage of 1,653 officers, 29 medical and dental officers, and 10,746 sailors, the minister said in his reply. Among the civilian employees, there is a deficiency of 165 in Group A, 4207 in Group B, and 6,156 in Group C.
The recent policy shift comes after the introduction of the Agnipath scheme on June 14, 2022. This new recruitment initiative, which replaces the previous process, enlists soldiers for a four-year term, with a maximum intake of 1.75 lakh personnel until 2026. Upon completion of their term, up to 25% of Agniveers may join the regular cadre through a further recruitment process. Kharge pointed out that the government had previously disclosed such details, and questioned why the practice had suddenly changed. He cited that, according to the latest figures provided in March 2023, there were over 1.55 lakh vacant posts in the armed forces.
