Bengaluru: Several government departments in Karnataka are working with just over half its actual capacity as the Congress-ruled state seemingly attempts to keep salaries and other expenses in check to deliver high-cost poll guarantees to the people.
The large number of vacant posts has been piling pressure on already stretched and limited resources, and thereby impacting efficiency, clearing files and turnaround time, government officials say.
This comes at a time when the Siddaramaiah government prepares to roll out its fifth guarantee, the Yuva Nidhi programme, for providing financial assistance to the unemployed. While unemployed degree and diploma holders can register for the scheme from 26 December, the government is gearing up for its launch from 1 January, 2024.
“There is a severe shortage of officials and since elections (the Lok Sabha) are fast approaching, there will be more diverting of resources,” a government official from Mysuru told ThePrint.
On 6 December, the excise department withdrew permission for a third shift of operations to at least four beer manufacturers in the region citing a shortage of officials.
Excise is one of the biggest revenue generators for the government. On Monday, the department restored permission to the breweries to operate from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. following a backlash.
“Each distillery requires two officers. So for four, we need eight (officers) but we do not have that kind of strength. Almost all departments (of the government) are running at 55-60 percent. There is a shortage in all of them,” the official cited above said.
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Poll promises to electorate
In May, the Congress party stormed to power with the promise of delivering on its five guarantees of 200 units of free electricity, free travel for women in public buses, financial assistance to women head of the household and for unemployed youngsters as well as expanding its flagship ‘Anna Bhagya’ to 10 kg per person per month. These schemes are estimated to cost around Rs 50,000 crore per year.
In its election manifesto, the Congress party assured to start recruitment to various government departments soon after it comes to power. According to latest government estimates, there are over 2.55 lakh vacancies in Group A-D as well as other categories in the state and districts.
Of the total 3,73,640 sanctioned posts in the state, there are 1,36,493 vacancies, according to data, from the finance department. Similarly, out of the total 3,98,385 sanctioned posts in the districts, 1,19,427 are lying vacant.
In total, there are over 7.72 lakh sanctioned posts, of which only 5,16,105 are currently filled. There are around 5,20,000 employees in its 72 departments across all grades.
“My department is not so bad. (The shortage) depends on the cadre… Some are 10 percent (vacant), some 20 percent. but we are doing some recruitment,” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told ThePrint.
On Wednesday, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K.T.Rama Rao took a dig at the Congress party for not living up to its promise of filling up government vacancies.
Hi Priyank Ji
Glad you too decided to join the issue.
Are these statements from your leader Rahul Gandhi about employment to 2lakh Karnataka youth and from Deputy CM on empty treasury also Fake?
Buddy, we defeated all the BJP bigwigs in Telangana including all three of their… https://t.co/jFC2nF0TgU pic.twitter.com/pkIstc5Yg5
— KTR (@KTRBRS) December 20, 2023
The former Telangana minister was referring to the March 20 statement by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who promised filling up of government vacancies if the party returned to power in Karnataka.
In December, the Congress wins 64 seats in the Telangana elections, ending the 10-year rule of the BRS party.
‘Bloating revenue expenditure’
The acute shortage of officials is not limited to the Grade A-D and can also be seen among the IAS cadre as well, people aware of the developments say.
There are also several senior IAS officers like L.K.Ateeq, Jawaid Akthar, and Priyanka Mary Francis who hold concurrent portfolios.
Ateeq, additional chief secretary (finance), holds concurrent charge as ACS to the chief minister. Akthar, the ACS (forest & ecology), is also the ACS of the government. On Saturday, Priyanka, the commissioner for Panchayat Raj Commissionerate, was given the additional responsibility of the panchayat raj department.
“There is a huge shortage in secretary and above scale…between 1990 and 2000 batches, Karnataka was getting only 3-4 officers ..so those are the batches who are secretary, principal secretary and additional chief secretary level. There was a huge sudden shortage and people are forced to have concurrent charges,” a senior official said.
Several retirements have opened vacancies but there are not enough people to replace since many are not up for promotions, the official added.
But the shortage in senior administrative ranks is not as stark compared to those of other grades. And a large reason it remains so is because of consistent government policies that have not proactively gone into recruitment and the attempt to keep revenue expenditure down, officials say.
“Revenue expenditure bloating is definitely one of the considerations,” according to the senior government official cited above.
Revenue expenditure — short-term expenses used in the current period or typically within one year — for 2023-24 was estimated at Rs 2,50,933 crore, an increase of 15 percent over the revised estimate of 2022-23.
Many of the officials ThePrint spoke to say there is an attempt to correct this anomaly but it all depends on the government. There have been some attempts to recruit more people but the shortage is far too many, they add.
“Generally there are 40-45 percent vacancies (in govt. departments). Those vacancies can be filled up and this can be corrected. But those vacancies exist because governments over the years have not permitted recruitment,” the senior official cited above said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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