Shortage of Officers
12/April/2017
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 6345
ANSWERED ON:  12.04.2017
Shortage of Officers
KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL
SHASHI THAROOR
Will the Minister of



STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:-


(a) whether the Government is aware that there are around 575 positions vacant in the grades of Senior Statistical Officer and Junior Statistical Officer in the Subordinate Statistical Service according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(b) whether the Government is aware that a persistent manpower shortage in the service would adversely affect the quality of the data collection and if so, the details thereof along with the reaction of the Government thereto;

(c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to fill up these posts on an urgent basis;

(d) whether there is a shortage of efficient officers in the Department of Statistics and if so, the details and the effects thereof along with the reasons therefor; and

(e) the remedial steps taken by the Government in this regard?


ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
[SHRID.V. SADANANDA GOWDA]

(a) to (e) As on 01.04.2017, 848 positions are vacant in the grades of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) [vacant-473] and Senior Statistical Officer (SSO) [vacant-375] in the Subordinate Statistical Service (SSS).These vacancies are due to high rate of attrition and not many people joining as JSO after having been selected by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) which can be attributed to lower grade pay of Rs.4200 and Rs.4600 as compared to other similarly placed organized Group-B Services. 

The Government in Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is aware of the need to effectively address the shortage of manpower.This Ministry has requested the SSC to recruit 666 candidates for the posts of JSO through Combined Graduate Level Examination (CGLE) 2016. Meetings of Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for promotion from the post of JSO to SSO are being held regularly.

In consonance with the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, this Ministry recommended grant of commensurate grade pay of Rs.4600 for JSOs and Rs.4800 for SSOs of SSS to the Ministry of Finance in order to arrest high rate of attrition.


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