PM directs recruitment of 10 lakh people in mission mode

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday instructed various government departments and ministries to recruitment of ten lakh people in mission mode in next one and half years. The direction from Modi came following a review of the status of human resources in all government departments and ministries, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. "PM Narendra Modi reviewed the status of Human Resources in all departments and ministries and instructed that recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the Government in mission mode in next 1.5 years," the PMO said in a tweet.

The government's decision comes amid the opposition's frequent criticism of it on the issue of unemployment. A large number of vacant posts in different government sectors has often been flagged. The decision to fill up 10 lakh posts in the next 18 months means that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have something solid to counter the opposition's criticism of its government on the issue of unemployment in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The country will be gearing up for the next general election, expected to be held in April-May in 2024, by the end of 18 months from now. According to the latest annual report of the Department of Expenditure, the total number of regular central government civilian employees in position (including in the Union territories) as on March 1, 2020 was 31.91 lakh as against the sanctioned strength of 40.78 lakh and approximately 21.75 per cent of the posts were vacant. The report said almost 92 per cent of the total manpower is covered by five major ministries or departments -- railways, defence (civil), home affairs, posts and revenue.