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 (March 11, 2026).
In a written reply to a question, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai presented data on vacancies in the paramilitary forces, showing that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has the highest number of 28,342 vacant posts followed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with 27,400 vacancies.
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 over whether the vacancies have affected law enforcement, internal security and disaster response capabilities, Mr. Rai said the security personnel are continuing to perform their responsibilities effectively. “The 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, the Minister 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, Mr. Rai laid out the data on resignation of employees working in various CAPFs.
According to the data presented to the House, resignations have been on the rise over the last few years as there were 2,333 resignations in 2025 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 figures also show 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 four 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.”
When asked about the welfare boards for CAPFs, Mr. Rai said that “the Ministry has established the Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB) to look after the welfare and rehabilitation of retired CAPF 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/U.T.s, Mr. Rai added.
Published – March 11, 2026 05:04 pm IST
