Wednesday, December 22 2004 14:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: About 18,700 posts in Central Ministries and departments have been abolished since the Expenditure Reforms Commission identified about 42,000 posts for abolition, Lok Sabha was informed today (Dec 22, 2004).

Following the recommendations of the Commission, the Department of Personnel had issued instructions regarding optimisation of direct recruitment to civilian posts and limit them to one-third of direct recruitment vacancies, Minister for Personnel Suresh Pachouri said during Question Hour.

He said around 64,000 posts were identified and recommended for abolition and around 22,400 posts identified to be filled up during 2001-02 and 2002-03.

To a question as to by when the Centre would launch large-scale recruitment, Pachouri said there was no fixed pattern of recruitment in the Central Government and it depended from year to year based on vacancies arising then.

He said the assessment of vacancies was finally done by the administrative ministries as per guidelines of the Government.