Department of Personnel and Training dropped quota data in annual report as it wasn’t ready: govt. in Rajya Sabha

Ministry explains exclusion of reservation data from annual report due to incomplete information, provides rough numbers in response.

After dropping data on reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs from its annual report for the first time in decades this year, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, on Thursday (December 19, 2024) told Rajya Sabha that it had done so because data received from Ministries at the time of preparing the annual report was “incomplete”.

This statement came in response to a question from CPI(M) MP John Brittas, who asked why the data had been dropped from the annual report, weeks after The Hindu had first reported it.

Replying to Mr. Brittas’ question, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, said: “Obtaining data/information from Ministries/ Departments is a time-consuming process. At the time of finalising the Annual Report, the relevant data received from various Ministries/Departments was incomplete and required reconciliation. Hence, the same could not be included in the Annual Report (2023-24) of DoPT.”

The 2023-24 annual report of the Department of Personnel and Training, is the first time that data on reservations was dropped in at least two decades, as reported by The Hindu earlier this month.

The Union Minister, in his reply, continued: “The data has since been reconciled,” but went on to provide only rough numbers of SC, ST, and OBC employees, without providing the total strength of the staff against which their percentage can be measured. The data provided is not tabulated Group-wise, as has been the norm in DoPT’s tabulations of reservation data. Neither does it clarify if this data is for all ministries and departments.

“As on 1.1.2024, the number of employees belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) is 5.47 lakh, 2.82 lakh and 8.55 lakh, respectively. The representation of SCs and STs is as per the prescribed limit of 15% and 7.5% respectively. The representation of OBCs in direct recruitment has also consistently been more than 27% during the last 10 years,” Mr. Singh insisted.

On vacancies and posts that have been abolished by the government in the last five years, the Union Minister evaded a direct answer, saying instead: “Occurrence and filling up of vacant posts in various Ministries/ Departments is a continuous process. The data/details of vacancies are maintained by the respective Ministries/Departments.”