Soaring expenditure threatens Karnataka CM’s plan to fill 35k vacancies

BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah's directive to officials to fill 34,863 vacancies in various departments has been met with enthusiasm from overworked employees and job seekers, but the proposal faces significant challenges due to the govt's strained finances.Of the total 7.7 lakh sanctioned posts across departments, over 2.5 lakh are currently vacant. Prior to assembly elections last year, Congress promised to fill one lakh vacancies if it won. Since assuming office in May 2023, the govt has taken more than 18 months to make progress on this promise, filling only a few positions in the Kalyana Karnataka region.At a review meeting on Monday, Siddaramaiah instructed officials and cabinet members to expedite the hiring process in departments such as education, health, agriculture, panchayat raj and rural development, and urban development.While the positive intent behind this directive has shone through, the govt faces a significant fund crunch despite an increase in tax revenue. Siddaramaiah had projected a revenue deficit of Rs 27,000 crore in his 2024-25 budget, a situation compounded by growing committed expenditure, including salaries, pensions, and interest payments. The revenue deficit suggests the govt may need to borrow to meet salary obligations, while continuing unproductive expenditure like interest payments.LK Atheeq, additional chief secretary, finance, acknowledged the challenges of launching the recruitment process. "We cannot delay filling these vacancies, but we also need to consider the financial implications. To balance administrative efficiency with fiscal prudence, we plan to recruit fresh staff in a staggered manner. The most critical posts will be filled first, followed by others later," Atheeq said.The recent hike in salaries and pensions by 58.5% — in line with 7th Pay Commission recommendations — has added an additional Rs 15,000 crore burden on the exchequer. Salary costs have risen from Rs 65,003 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 85,434 crore in the current fiscal, while pension expenses have increased from Rs 25,116 crore to ₹32,355 crore. Interest payments too has similarly risen.While employees appreciate the govt's initiative to address vacancies, many are demanding that it fulfil its promise of filling one lakh positions. "We welcome the CM's move, but recruiting 34,863 employees amounts to just over 10% of existing vacancies. This does little to alleviate the disproportionate burden on employees. We want at least one lakh vacancies filled initially," said CS Shadakshari, president, Karnataka State Government Employees' Association.