More than 2.58 lakh posts vacant in 44 govt depts

Bengaluru: More than 2.58 lakh posts are vacant in various 44 departments of the government. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that one lakh posts have been filled in one year, which has given new hope.

A significant issue is that there are more vacancies in the education, health, social welfare, revenue and home departments, which have to interact more with the people on a daily basis. Although there have been some recruitment processes over the past few months, nothing has been finalised. Around 7.70 lakh posts have been sanctioned in various 44 departments of the state, out of which 5.11 lakh posts are filled and more than 2.58 lakh posts are vacant.

Mainly 82,000 C and D group posts in various government departments have been appointed on an outsourcing basis. The Karnataka Public Service Commission has conducted recruitment for only 20,000 posts in the last five years. Half of the posts are vacant in agriculture, education, financial, SC-ST, OBC department, women and child welfare, skill development departments.

Due to economic austerity in the wake of Covid-19, most of the recruitment processes have come to a standstill in the last couple of years. Although the recruitment process has started recently, it is getting delayed due to technical and legal issues. In the meantime, the government has instructed all the departments to stop the recruitment and promotion processes where reservation is applicable in view of the implementation of the ordinance passed by the state government to increase the amount of reservation in employment and education for the SC-ST communities. As per the information provided by the Karnataka Public Service Commission, a total of 20,747 posts have been notified in the last five years to fill the vacant posts in various government departments. KPSC is taking quick steps to complete the recruitment process in recent days. Accordingly, the recruitment process for gazetted probationary posts, SDA, Group C, PWD Department Engineer, Forest Department Assistant Conservator of Forest posts is in the final stage.

Several steps have been taken by the Commission to expedite the recruitment process and complete it within the time frame.

A lot of improvements and changes are being made at all stages including notification, application submission, examination, result, interview, provisional selection list, publication of final selection list, said Suralkar Vikas Kishore, Secretary, KPSC.