Occurrence and filling up of vacant posts is a continuous process and details of vacancies are maintained by the respective ministries or departments, the Centre said on Thursday.

Ministries or departments of the central government have been directed, from time to time, to fill up the vacant posts in a time bound manner, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He was responding to a question seeking "details of the total number of vacancies in all central government ministries and departments to date, department-wise".

"Occurrence and filling up of vacant posts in various ministries/departments is a continuous process. The details of vacancies are maintained by the respective ministry/department," Singh said.

In response to another question, he said the contractual appointments in government departments are made by the individual ministries/departments strictly based on their requirements, in accordance with the provisions of General Financial Rules, 2017.

"Vacant posts have been filled up in mission mode, in Rozgar Melas launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister on 22nd October, 2022. 13 Rozgar Melas have been held at central level in 40-45 cities across various states/Union Territories," the minister said.

In a separate reply to a question seeking details of the number of recruitment letters pertaining to the central government handed over during Rozgar Melas, he said "several lakhs of appointment letters have been issued during the Rozgar Melas".

As part of Rozgar Mela, the vacant posts in central government ministries and various organizations of central government are being filled up in a mission mode, he said.

Details of various recruitments and vacancies, including category wise breakup are maintained by respective ministries/departments/central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) and the concerned recruitment agencies such as Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) etc., Singh said.

Replying to another question, he said as many as 63 specialists have been appointed in different Central government departments through the lateral entry mode from 2019 to 2023.

Of these, 35 were appointed on contract basis and the remaining 28 on deputation, the minister said in a written reply in the Upper House.

"Lateral recruitment at the levels of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area," Singh said.

Giving details, Singh said eight joint secretaries were appointed in 2019, including five on contractual basis and three through deputation from other government departments/organisations.

Thirty recruitments were made in 2021 at the levels of joint secretary (3), director (18) and deputy secretary (9). Of these, 14 were on contract and 16 were through deputation, the minister said.

In 2023, 25 such specialists were appointed, including three joint secretaries, 15 directors and seven deputy secretaries. Of them, 16 were appointed on contract basis and nine through deputation, the minister's reply said.