'Higher vacancies': Congress says Centre 'weaponising' NFS to deny seats to SC, ST, OBC applicants

He said this distinctly higher level of vacancies among reserved positions as compared to General category positions clearly points to a much higher prevalence of NFS for these candidates.

The Congress on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central government over its claim that it does not collect data on the prevalence of Not Found Suitable (NFS) during the recruitment for faculty positions.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, cited the Union ministry of education’s response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on the use of NFS in Central universities faculty appointments to say that it revealed staggering level of vacancies among SC, ST, and OBC reserved faculty positions in Central Universities.

Ramesh said the data shared by the education ministry is clear evidence of the issue that
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has raised – “that NFS is being weaponized against SC, ST, and OBC candidates to deny them fair employment opportunities”.

He said this is being done to subvert the Constitutional provision for reservations in public employment.

“While the Government has claimed that it does not centrally collect data on the prevalence of Not Found Suitable (NFS) during the recruitment for faculty positions, the data is unequivocal,” Ramesh wrote in a post on X on Sunday.

In its reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Modi Government has revealed the staggering level of vacancies among SC, ST, and OBC reserved faculty positions in Central Universities –

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• 80% positions for OBCs, 83% positions for STs, and 64% positions for SCs at the… pic.twitter.com/9Z0ueNhC4m

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 27, 2025

He said this distinctly higher level of vacancies among reserved positions as compared to General category positions clearly points to a much higher prevalence of NFS for these candidates.

Ramesh said that in its reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Modi Government has revealed the staggering level of vacancies among SC, ST, and OBC reserved faculty positions in Central Universities.

In his reply to a question asked by RJD MP Manoj Jha, in the Rajya Sabha on July 23, education minister Sukanta Majumdar said that for the post of professor, out of 308 seats reserved for the SC community, 111 had been filled; out of 144 seats for the ST community, 24 had been filled, and out of 423 seats, 84 had been filled.

For associate professor, out of 632 posts for SCs, 308 had been filled; out of 307 posts for STs, 108 been filled; and out of 883 posts for OBCs, 275 had been filled.

For assistant professor, out of 1,370 posts for SCs, 1,180 had been filled; out of 704 posts for STs, 595 had been filled; and out of 2,382 posts for OBCs, 1,838 had been filled, the Union minister had said.

Sharing the document of the response by Majumdar, Ramesh pointed out that 80% positions for OBCs, 83% positions for STs, and 64% positions for SCs at the Professor level are vacant. While, in the general category, the vacancies are 39%, he said.

At the Associate Professor level, ⁠69% positions for OBCs, 65% positions for STs, and 51% positions for SCs are vacant. The figure of vacancies is 16% for the general category.

And, at the Assistant Professor level, 23% positions for OBCs, 15% positions for STs, and 14% positions for SCs are vacant. “In the general category, the vacancies are only 8%,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday also attacked the Modi government over vacant reserved posts for SCs, STs and OBCs in central universities and said this is not just negligence but a "well-planned conspiracy" to keep "Bahujans" out of education, research and policies.

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha had demanded that all such vacant posts be filled immediately and 'Bahujans' be given their rights, not "Manuwadi boycott".