New Delhi, March 11
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 concerns about whether the vacancies have affected law enforcement, internal security and disaster response capabilities, Rai said the forces are continuing to perform their responsibilities effectively.
“Forces are discharging all duties in a highly professional manner through optimal utilisation of available resources,” he said.
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.
The government has also reduced the time taken for medical examinations and lowered cut-off marks for shortlisting candidates in categories facing shortfalls to ensure adequate recruitment, Rai said.
Regular meetings of departmental promotion committees are also being conducted to fill promotional vacancies and accelerate the manpower augmentation process, he added.
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.
The number of suicides has come down to 158 in 2025 as compared to 143 in 2021. The number of fratricide cases has come down to 4 in 2025 from 11 in 2021. Voluntary retirements have dropped from 10,828 in 2021 to 4,291 in 2025.
On the question, whether the government is reconsidering for restoration of OPS (Old Pension Scheme) and perks etc. to CAPF personnel also after the Delhi High Court has given a judgment in 2023 treating Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel as “Armed Forces of Union of India,” the Minister said that “the issue/matter is presently sub-judice and is pending adjudication before the Supreme Court of India.”
On the questions about the welfare boards for CAPFs, Rai said that “the Ministry has established the Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB) to look after the welfare and rehabilitation of retired CAPFs personnel and their families, including Next of Kin (NoKs) of deceased/disabled personnel.”
WARB has further designated Central Welfare Officers (CWOs), State Welfare Officers (SWOs) and District Welfare Officers (DWOs) in States/UTs, Rai added.
PTI
