A Look at the Vacancy Trends Over the Years

Before delving into the reasons for the decreasing vacancies, let's take a look at the trend over the years. The table below shows the number of vacancies announced by the UPSC each year.

The table clearly shows a steady decrease in the number of vacancies since 2014. Yet, according to the government, there is a shortage of approximately 1400 IAS and 900 IPS officers in India. The following table provides an interesting comparison:

This gap in the number of officers in the bureaucracy poses a serious problem as it hampers the effective functioning of the government machinery. A shortage of qualified personnel can adversely affect the administration of the country.

Why the Shortfall in UPSC Vacancies?

A report submitted by the Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) suggested that if the government aimed to bridge this gap by 2020, it would need to recruit more than 180 IAS officers annually. Acting on this recommendation, the government decided to recruit 180 IAS and IPS officers each year.

Yet, the question remains: why doesn't the government increase the number of officers and the vacancies for direct recruitment through the UPSC civil services exam? Such a move would certainly be welcomed by the thousands of aspirants who dream of becoming IAS officers. However, the government has provided several valid reasons for not increasing the vacancies.

Here are the reasons for not increasing the number of vacancies filled via direct recruitment through the UPSC CSE:

Despite the possibility of an increase in the number of vacancies, the competition is expected to remain intense. Aspirants should therefore focus their energies not on the number of available seats, but on excelling in the civil services examination.