The IPS officers are in short supply as reduced number of recruitment was carried out between 1998 and 2004 of NDA rule, leaving a deficit of over 550 IPS officers. It is decided that 130 IPS officers would be recruited now which was reduced to 36 during the NDA regime as against the 85 IPS recruited every year.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had expressed concern about the serious shortfall of IPS officers in the country. The Country has 3,332 IPS officers against a sanctioned strength of 3,889 (direct recruitment and promotion), negatively impacting key organisations like CBI and Intelligence agencies. IB has an estimated 58 vacancies at SP & SSP level and CBI facing similar deficit of 13 IPS officers, Home Ministry officials told Deccan Herald.
Besides unusually low recruitment of IPS officers, the massive expansion in the police and para-military forces and the logical increase in the senior posts has also increased the shortfall of the IPS officers. CRPF is increasing 38 new battalions including ‘Mahila’ battalions which would raise the strength of the CRPF from 207 to 245 battalions. The total sanctioned manpower of the CRPF has been raised from 267,757 to more than 305,000 personnel.
New 932 posts are sanctioned in the CISF for deployment at seven installations including 68 posts for Bangalore. Besides, Home Ministry has sanctioned additional manpower of 6,478 policemen for Delhi at a cost of Rs 199 crore per annum as also approved 29 new police stations for the National Capital.
The creation of National Investigation Agency has also put further pressure on the IPS deficit, said Home Ministry officials. The shortfall of IPS officers would be off set in next three to four years time, they said.
