Record recruitment, over 20 lakh stagnated promotions cleared in 11 years: Jitendra Singh
New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said record number of appointment letters were issued for central government jobs, and over 20 lakh pending promotions were cleared in the past 11 years.
Addressing the Rozgar Mela event, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he also cited several reforms aimed at making recruitment to government services more candidate-friendly.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said appointments through the three major central recruiting agencies — Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Railway Recruitment Boards — have risen sharply.
Between 2004 and 2014, these agencies together made 7.22 lakh appointments. However, since 2014, this number has increased by one-and-a-half times, to 10.96 lakh, the minister said.
Referring to backlog vacancies related to reserved categories, he said while only 1.08 lakh such appointments were made earlier, the figure has increased nearly four-fold to 4.79 lakh over the past 11 years.
These measures have helped address delays and inequities in government recruitment and representation, he asserted.
“More than 20 lakh long-pending promotions have been cleared in the last 11 years, ending a prolonged phase of stagnation that once saw many government employees retire from the same post at which they were appointed,” Singh said.
The clearance of promotions reflects a broader transformation in the government’s human resource management, alongside faster recruitment and greater transparency, he said, adding that these steps have addressed long-standing concerns related to career progression within government services.
At the 18th edition of the Rozgar Mela, more than 61,000 appointment letters were issued at the press of a button, of which 49,225 relate to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the central armed police forces, according to an official statement.
