Culture Ministry has 5,000 vacant positions 45 organisations

For those who think there is dearth of government jobs in the country, it might come as a shock that there are over 5,000 vacant posts in 45 organisations, under the Ministry of Culture. This is also leading to difficulties in security, conservation and preservation of historical monuments, as told by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.

It was during his address to Lok Sabha that Sharma informed of 15,607 sanctioned posts in 45 organisations under his Ministry, of which only 10,284 posts are filled.

"These vacancies have occurred over the years and we have taken a number of steps, including appointing people on contractual basis, to fill the vacant posts," he said during Question Hour. He added that old and stringent rules of hiring are the reasons behind these vacant posts.

There are around 80,000 historic monuments in India, of which 3,686 were protected by Archaeological Survey of India. He however added that "no monument of national importance has been neglected or defaced for want of adequate manpower."

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