New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has asked the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to fill at least half its vacant positions this year.

Terming the vacant positions as a “severe manpower shortage”,  the committee has asked the Ministry to deal with the issue on priority basis.

“The target of the Ministry should be to fill at least 50 per cent of the existing vacancies across all cadres within this year. It is also expected that the rest of the vacancies be filled up in a time-bound manner thereafter,” said the committee in a report presented in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (August 5), reported Indian Express.

The MoSPI has asked for an additional 2,594 junior and senior statistical officers. The ministry has also consistently faced a shortage of officers, with the standing committee saying in its report that the number of vacancies in the ministry’s Field Operations Division increased from 614 in 2023 to 908 at the beginning of 2025.

The Field Operations Division is in charge of conducting surveys rose. This shortage of manpower, the report said, “affects the quality of the data”.

“According to the Ministry, the same is being addressed through engaging contractual manpower and training them. The Committee is of the view that this is a stopgap arrangement and does not fully address the issue. The Committee therefore recommends the Ministry to deal with the issue of severe manpower shortage on priority basis and take concrete steps towards recruitment of regular field-based staff in a time-bound manner,” the committee has stated.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.