The Union Government has placed before Parliament a detailed and cadre-wise account of the current strength and vacancy position in the country’s premier civil services — the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFS). The data, reflecting the position as of January 1, 2025, was furnished in the Rajya Sabha through a written reply by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh, who oversees the portfolios of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy, Space, and Science & Technology.
The statement provides a granular breakdown of sanctioned strength, officers currently in position, and existing vacancies across all state and joint cadres, offering a comprehensive snapshot of administrative manpower across the country.
Aggregate Strength and Vacancy Position
According to the official data submitted to Parliament, the three All India Services continue to face substantial staffing gaps:
IAS: 6,877 sanctioned posts; 5,577 officers in position; 1,300 vacancies
IPS: 5,099 sanctioned posts; 4,594 officers in position; 505 vacancies
IFS: 3,193 sanctioned posts; 2,164 officers in position; 1,029 vacancies
Collectively, these figures indicate more than 2,800 vacant positions across the three services, underscoring ongoing challenges in cadre management, recruitment cycles, and officer deployment.
The data assumes significance as these services form the backbone of India’s governance architecture, overseeing administration, policing, forest governance, environmental management, and public service delivery across states and Union Territories.
Cadre-Wise Distribution Across States and UTs
The report provides a state-by-state and joint-cadre breakdown, reflecting both sanctioned strength and officers currently serving in each cadre.
Among key cadres:
AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories):
542 IAS (406 in position), 457 IPS (427), 302 IFS (201)
Uttar Pradesh:
652 IAS (571), 541 IPS (510), 217 IFS (114)
West Bengal:
378 IAS (303), 347 IPS (319), 126 IFS (99)
Madhya Pradesh:
459 IAS (391), 319 IPS (271), 296 IFS (209)
Maharashtra:
435 IAS (359), 329 IPS (306), 206 IFS (139)
Tamil Nadu:
394 IAS (343), 276 IPS (242), 152 IFS (102)
Rajasthan:
332 IAS (268), 222 IPS (216), 145 IFS (106)
Karnataka:
314 IAS (273), 224 IPS (203), 164 IFS (113)
Gujarat:
313 IAS (255), 208 IPS (203), 125 IFS (77)
Bihar:
359 IAS (303), 242 IPS (241), 74 IFS (50)
Odisha:
248 IAS (185), 195 IPS (132), 141 IFS (82)
Punjab:
231 IAS (198), 172 IPS (138), 61 IFS (43)
Kerala:
231 IAS (157), 172 IPS (150), 107 IFS (78)
Assam–Meghalaya:
263 IAS (214), 195 IPS (157), 142 IFS (90)
Chhattisgarh:
202 IAS (164), 142 IPS (135), 153 IFS (116)
Jharkhand:
224 IAS (177), 158 IPS (143), 142 IFS (84)
Haryana:
215 IAS (172), 144 IPS (127), 58 IFS (44)
Himachal Pradesh:
153 IAS (117), 96 IPS (84), 114 IFS (90)
Uttarakhand:
126 IAS (109), 75 IPS (73), 112 IFS (70)
Telangana:
208 IAS (174), 139 IPS (134), 81 IFS (60)
Andhra Pradesh:
239 IAS (195), 174 IPS (140), 82 IFS (67)
Manipur:
115 IAS (80), 91 IPS (85), 58 IFS (25)
Tripura:
102 IAS (74), 69 IPS (63), 60 IFS (50)
Nagaland:
94 IAS (53), 80 IPS (65), 45 IFS (29)
Sikkim:
48 IAS (36), 32 IPS (30), 30 IFS (26)
The data highlights particularly large shortfalls in major states such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, while also indicating significant vacancies in IFS-heavy cadres like AGMUT and Madhya Pradesh.
Recruitment Through Civil Services Examination (2020–2024)
The government further provided category-wise recruitment figures for direct appointments made over the past five years through the Civil Services Examination (CSE).
Appointments during 2020–2024 include:
IAS: 245 OBC, 135 SC, 67 ST candidates
IPS: 255 OBC, 141 SC, 71 ST candidates
IFS: 231 OBC, 95 SC, 48 ST candidates
These figures reflect continued efforts to maintain social representation and diversity within the higher civil services while addressing structural vacancies.
Administrative Implications and Policy Significance
The presence of over 2,800 vacancies across the IAS, IPS, and IFS has important implications for governance capacity, law-and-order management, environmental oversight, and public service delivery.
The Union Government reiterated that cadre strength is periodically reviewed, and vacancies are addressed primarily through annual Civil Services Examination recruitment, cadre reviews, promotions, and, where necessary, lateral induction mechanisms.
Comprehensive cadre data of this nature plays a critical role in:
Strategic manpower planning
Rationalisation of inter-cadre deputations
Promotion and empanelment decisions
Balanced officer distribution between states and central postings
As India’s administrative framework continues to expand in complexity and scale, effective cadre management remains central to maintaining institutional efficiency and responsive governance across the Union and states.
