Culture Ministry has 4,919 posts lying vacant, govt tells Lok Sabha

As many as 4,919 posts are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 13,865 which cover the Culture Ministry and its attached, subordinate and autonomous bodies, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Asked whether the ministry and other departments and bodies under its control have a "shortage of manpower" compared to sanctioned posts, he replied in the affirmative.

"There are 4,919 posts lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 13,865 which cover the ministry and its attached, subordinate and autonomous bodies. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has 3,696 centrally protected monuments in various states and Union Territories of the country.

"ASI takes up maintenance and conservation work of these monuments and sites regularly, as per availability of resources. Upkeep of the monuments is a continuous process," he said.

Reddy said, "There is no centrally protected monument/site which has been badly affected due to shortage of staff. All centrally protected monuments are in a good state of preservation."

The government has initiated a mega recruitment drive under the 'Mission Recruitment Mode' from March 2022 to December 2023 to fill up all vacant posts through government recruitment agencies, the minister said.

"The ministry has engaged seven persons on a contract basis and a total amount of Rs 69.85 lakh has been spent on their remuneration during the last three years.

"Further, the autonomous bodies under this Ministry have engaged/outsourced a total of 3,646 contractual/outsource staff and a total amount of Rs. 130.02 crore has been spent for the same," Reddy said.