Over 93,000 posts vacant in CAPFs: Govt tells Rajya Sabha

More than 93,000 posts are lying vacant in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai presented vacancies data in the paramilitary forces, showing that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has the highest number of vacancies at 27,400, followed by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with 28,342 vacant posts. The Border Security Force (BSF) has 14,531 vacancies, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has 12,333, and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has 6,784 vacant positions. The Assam Rifles has 3,749 vacancies, taking the total to 93,139 posts.
Responding to a question by MP Ashok Mittal and concerns about whether the vacancies have affected law enforcement, internal security and disaster response capabilities, Rai said  “Forces are discharging all duties in a highly professional manner through optimal utilisation of available resources.”  The minister added that filling vacancies in CAPFs and Assam Rifles is a continuous process, with recruitment being carried out through agencies such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). He said several measures have been taken to expedite recruitment, including annual recruitment for Constable (General Duty) posts through the SSC, nomination of a nodal force to coordinate recruitment for key ranks, and the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology during physical tests to streamline the selection process.Directions have been issued to all Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles to undertake recruitment against vacant posts in Non-General Duty cadres in a time-bound manner.
In response to another question, Minister Rai laid out the resignation data for the CAPFs. According to the data presented, resignations have been on the rise since 2021, as in 2025, there were 2,333 resignations compared to 1,255 in 2021. The data shows that there were 1,183, 2,037, and 2,724 resignations in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. The data presented also shows that there has been a decline in the number of suicides, fratricides, and voluntary retirements in the paramilitary forces.