Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has confirmed a massive deficit in state government staffing, revealing that an alarming 2.84 lakh (284,000) posts across various departments are currently lying vacant. This revelation underscores a significant administrative crisis, with nearly 33% of the total sanctioned strength in the state government unfilled. The staggering number of vacancies highlights the pressure on existing staff, the potential deterioration of public services, and the failure to deliver on election promises of large-scale job creation.
The scale of the deficit is particularly acute in critical public service sectors. Departments like School Education & Literacy reportedly bear the heaviest burden, contributing to a large share of the vacancies, followed by the Health & Family Welfare and Home departments. The shortfall in these key areas directly impacts essential services like education, healthcare delivery, and law enforcement, which are crucial for the state's development and the welfare of its citizens.
Despite the severe shortage, the Chief Minister disclosed that the Finance Department, which oversees state expenditure, has been extremely cautious in sanctioning new recruitments. The department has only approved the filling of a fraction of the available posts, with a green light given to recruit candidates for just 24,300 positions. This conservative approach to hiring—approving less than 10% of the total vacancies—is widely attributed to the state's mounting fiscal constraints, particularly the enormous budget expenditure allocated to the implementation of the government's five ‘guarantee’ schemes.
The sluggish pace of recruitment has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and job-seeker organizations, who argue that the government is neglecting its poll promise to provide employment. Protests have been staged across the state, demanding that the government expedite the recruitment process and fill the backlog of vacancies. Job aspirants, many of whom are nearing the age limit for government service, are raising concerns that the delay is depriving thousands of eligible youth of secure employment opportunities.
The government, while acknowledging the challenge, has reiterated its commitment to filling the vacancies in a phased and transparent manner over the next few years. The CM has previously directed departments to prepare C&R (Cadre and Recruitment) rules and send timely proposals to the Finance Department. However, the current data shows a significant bottleneck at the approval stage, where financial considerations appear to be overriding the operational needs of various government departments.
