The Ministry of Defence refused to disclose data on armed forces personnel shortages, citing national security concerns, which has led to criticism from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) refused to share data regarding personnel shortages in the armed forces, citing "national security" as the reason.

On August 5, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth addressed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply, stating that the requested information was "a sensitive operational matter concerning national security" and that revealing such details would not be in the national interest.

This response was given in answer to a question posed by Member of Parliament Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi, who had inquired whether the government was aware of shortages in various categories, including officers, soldiers, and medical officers, within the armed forces and what steps were being taken to address these vacancies.

Traditionally, the Ministry of Defence has provided updates on personnel shortages. For example, on March 13, 2023, then Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Ajay Bhatt reported that, as of March 10, 2023, the Army had 8,070 officer vacancies and 127,673 vacancies among Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Other Ranks (ORs). Additionally, Bhatt mentioned that between January 1, 2023, and March 10, 2023, 613 officer positions and 19,065 JCO/OR positions were filled.

The recent policy shift comes after the introduction of the Agnipath scheme on June 14, 2022. This new recruitment initiative, which replaces the previous process, enlists soldiers for a four-year term, with a maximum intake of 1.75 lakh personnel until 2026. Upon completion of their term, up to 25% of Agniveers may join the regular cadre through a further recruitment process.

The refusal to disclose personnel shortages has sparked criticism, notably from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. In a post on the social media platform 'X', Kharge tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and criticized the government's decision, accusing it of hiding important information. Kharge pointed out that the government had previously disclosed such details, and questioned why the practice had suddenly changed. He cited that, according to the latest figures provided in March 2023, there were over 1.55 lakh vacant posts in the armed forces.

Kharge emphasized that transparency on the number of vacancies is in the "real national interest," as it would enable comprehensive measures to be taken to address these gaps and ensure the protection of the nation's territorial integrity.

(With Inputs From Agencies)