Over 8.23 Lakh Union Govt Posts Lie Vacant; Congress Alleges ‘Backdoor’ Attack on Reservation
New Delhi: More than 8.23 lakh sanctioned posts in Union ministries and departments were vacant as of March 1, 2024, nearly doubling from the 4.21 lakh vacancies in 2015, a Right to Information Act (RTI) query has revealed.
The figures, provided by the Pay Research Unit (PRU) under the Department of Expenditure in the Union Finance Ministry, cover 80 Union ministries and departments. Against a sanctioned strength of 39,23,212 civilian regular posts, 30,99,556 were occupied, leaving 8,23,556 positions unfilled, data showed
The information was provided on August 19, 2026, in response to an RTI application filed by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur.
Defence, railways lead on vacancies
The Ministry of Defence had the largest number of vacancies, with 2,41,643 posts unfilled against a sanctioned strength of 5,56,248. The Railways followed with 2,40,125 vacancies. It had 12,39,576 employees against a sanctioned strength of 14,79,701.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had 1,10,885 vacancies against 11,18,233 sanctioned posts. The Department of Posts had 61,546 unfilled positions against 2,53,124 sanctioned posts.
Other ministries with a significant number of vacancies include Animal Husbandry and Dairying with 57.7% vacant posts, 38% in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and 34% in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, as of March 2024.
'End reservation through backdoor'
The data has come amid employment and education related protests all over the country, including the demonstrations in New Delhi, Bihar and Jharkhand over the last few months.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (August 24) criticised the government over the number of vacant Union government posts, alleging that keeping positions unfilled could reduce opportunities available to the marginalised communities under reservation.
Sharing a ministry-wise breakdown of the vacancies on X, Kharge highlighted the number vacant posts revealed in the RTI response.
“The Modi government has hatched a plan to end reservations through the back door! The question is not just about employment, but about social justice. Keep government posts vacant, and the opportunity for reservations ends,” Kharge said.
Kharge also alleged that 5.1 lakh permanent jobs had been eliminated in public sector undertakings (PSUs) and that the proportion of contractual workers had increased from 19% to 49%.
“To end reservations, it is not necessary to amend the Constitution — just eliminating jobs with reservations is enough,” Kharge said.
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