Recruitment for vacancies in tribal areas must be completed within 6 months: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed that detailed information regarding employees working in supernumerary posts across various government departments, along with the details of the corresponding original vacant posts, must be submitted within two weeks. Necessary action must be taken to complete the recruitment process for vacant posts in tribal areas within six months.

CM Fadnavis was speaking at a meeting regarding vacant positions in tribal (PESA) areas.

He stated that, as per the orders of the Supreme Court, the concerned employees were relieved from their original posts. However, since many of these employees had served for a long time, they were accommodated in supernumerary posts on humanitarian grounds.

Fadnavis directed all District Collectors to urgently collect accurate data on the number of employees currently working in supernumerary posts within each department, the number of such employees who have retired, and the corresponding original vacant positions. All this information will be submitted to the Chief Secretary’s office, after which the respective departments must put in place the necessary mechanisms for recruiting to the vacant positions, he clarified.

Directing all concerned departments to complete the recruitment preparations within the stipulated timeframe, CM Fadnavis emphasised that the deadline in this regard will not be extended under any circumstances. The verification process for appointments under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category was also discussed during the meeting.

According to a review conducted in 2015, some employees had not submitted their Caste Validity Certificates. Subsequently, during a verification carried out in 2019, the issue of approximately 6,860 employees without validity certificates came to light, out of which 1,346 posts have been filled.

The CM’s directives come against the backdrop of widespread protests and hunger strikes by tribal students across major centres including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Yavatmal, and Nanded. The agitation, led by tribal youth and student organisations, intensified following a tragic incident in Gadchiroli district where three tribal girls died from a snakebite at a government residential school (Ashram Shala).

The 17-day hunger strike was suspended on August 29, 2026, after CM Fadnavis and Tribal Development Minister Dr Ashok Uike held direct discussions with student delegations in Mumbai and accepted their major demands with a time-bound implementation schedule.

The protesters were demanding the immediate identification and filling of around 12,500 vacant posts reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) across state departments and fast-tracking recruitment under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). Recruitment for nine out of 17 cadres was completed, and the government agreed to launch recruitment for the remaining 6–8 cadres immediately.

They also demanded placing ST candidates in the second position in the government point-roster system as per prior government resolutions.

–IANS

sj/uk