Even as new cases get referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation every other day, its operations are severely hampered by acute manpower shortage. The agency has blamed the Government’s austerity measures, lengthy recruitment procedures and the need for multiple clearances, in its submissions on the vacancies to a Parliamentary panel on Ministry of Personnel.

Existing austerity measures require prior approval of a Screening Committee for filling vacancies by direct recruitment. Though the CBI has been asking for exemption from this requirement, it hasn’t been addressed yet. Along with the Screening Committee clearance, direct recruitments also need to be cleared by the Surplus Cell, failing which no recruitment can be done.

Moreover, a Finance Ministry directive to treat posts that remain vacant for more than one year as “deemed abolished” creates further problems. For filling up posts vacant for over a year, the CBI needs to take separate approvals from the Department of Expenditure, which itself is a very lengthy process.

The CBI also contended that the induction of officers through the Union Public Services Commission is very lengthy and creates large number of vacancies. Currently, deputy and additional superintendents of police are inducted through the UPSC.

The CBI has also mooted that officers no longer be hired at the sub-inspector level. “Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, no officers below the inspector rank can investigate a case and hence, the strength of sub-inspectors remains unutilised so far as investigation is concerned,” the agency informed the panel.

... contd.