Even while grappling with a significant manpower crunch, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) recruited just over 4,600 people in 2024 against more than 37,000 vacancies. Expressing concern over this shortfall, a Parliamentary panel on Thursday reiterated the need for a more structured manpower planning framework to ensure timely and adequate recruitment.
The CBIC is responsible for policymaking, enforcement, and collection of Customs Duty, Central Excise Duty, and GST (CGST, IGST, and Cess). These indirect levies account for 41 per cent of the Centre’s total tax collection for Fiscal Year 2025-26.
Data as of July 1, 2024, revealed that CBIC has a sanctioned strength of 91,472, but a working strength of only 54,883, indicating a vacancy of 36,859. The board reported to the Standing Committee on Finance that it has taken sincere steps to overcome the staff shortage by filling vacancies in Group A, B, and C cadres. During 2024, a total of 4,653 officers in Group B and C cadres were recruited through Direct Recruitment (DR) via the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), and 418 officers were elevated by promotion from feeder cadres.
Furthermore, 8,912 vacancies in the Group B and C cadres of CBIC have also been reported and proposed to the SSC, with recruitment currently in process. This includes 3,184 vacancies for Inspector grades (145 for Examiner, 2,699 for Inspector, and 340 for Preventive Officer) specifically aimed at addressing the shortage of staff in the Inspector grade within CBIC.
In the Action Taken Report on ‘Demands for Grants (2024-25),’ the committee noted with concern that the scale of recruitment was still not commensurate with the overall number of vacant posts. Highlighting the recruitment numbers reported by CBIC, it stated that a substantial gap persists between sanctioned and working strength, particularly at the crucial Inspector level. This perpetuates a significant impediment to the efficacy of field enforcement and seamless delivery of taxpayer services.
The Committee emphasized that this entrenched paucity of human resources is poised to undermine the operational efficiency and overall effectiveness of tax administration, thereby delaying service delivery to taxpayers. Therefore, the Committee “reiterate[d] the need for a more structured manpower planning framework to ensure timely and adequate recruitment. They further advocate for the diligent exploration of employee retention strategies to mitigate attrition rates,” a report tabled in Parliament on Thursday said.
Source from: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/cbic-recruits-only-4600-against-37000-vacancies/article69878758.ece
