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Are RRBs Ignoring Manpower Crisis?
IBPS RRB recruitment indents 13,217 posts, far below demand. Unions allege staff shortages ignored, violating Mitra Committee norms via NABARD directive.
Author: Saurav Kumar
Published: September 5, 2025
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The Common Recruitment Process for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) has been initiated by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) for 2025, announcing a total of 13,217 vacancies, including 7,972 Office Assistants and 5,245 Officers across various scales. However, the All India Regional Rural Bank Employees Association (AIRRBEA) and allied bodies have raised strong objections, alleging that the vacancies are far below the actual requirement and grossly violate NABARD’s directive on implementing S.K Mitra Committee recommendations.
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Vacancies in Major RRBs
According to the IBPS notification, the largest number of vacancies have been indented by:
- Rajasthan Grameen Bank – 2,765
- Uttar Pradesh Grameen Bank – 1,515
- Karnataka Grameen Bank – 1,425
- Madhya Pradesh Grameen Bank – 839
- Telangana Grameen Bank – 798
- Tamil Nadu Grameen Bank – 688
- Gujarat Grameen Bank – 666
- Kerala Grameen Bank – 625
- Bihar Grameen Bank – 557
Image: Vacancies reported in nine RRBs.
Data Courtesy: AIRRBEA
All other RRBs have reported vacancies below the 500 mark. Out of the officer-level recruitment (5,245 in total), 3,907 posts are for Scale-I officers, while specialist posts like IT (87), Chartered Accountants (69), Law (48), Treasury (16), Marketing (15), and Agriculture (50) have been minimally allocated.
Union Concerns on Underreporting of Vacancies
Speaking to Kanal, AIRRBEA leader Bidhan Chakraborty said, “Despite repeated demands for a one-time special recruitment of over 30,000 posts, RRBs have indented only 13,217 vacancies this year. This inadequate recruitment goes against NABARD’s December 2022 directive, which clearly stated that Mitra Committee recommendations on HR policy cannot be altered by RRB Boards and can only be reviewed at the level of the Government of India or NABARD.”
He further stressed that the management of RRBs have consistently failed to reflect the actual staff shortages. “It is time to assess manpower and protest against managements’ actions. Vacancies must be increased as per Mitra Committee norms, and a reassessment of manpower has to be undertaken without delay,” Chakraborty added.
Image: NABARD directive on Mitra committee recommendations in RRBs
Call for Compliance with Mitra Committee Norms
Unions argue that rural banking expansion, rising branch-level workload, and the growing demands of financial inclusion schemes require far more staff than the numbers projected in the latest recruitment exercise. In its statement, AIRRBEA said, “It is time to assess manpower and protest against the managements’ reluctance to reflect actual vacancies. Vacancies must be increased in line with Mitra Committee norms, and manpower reassessment must be carried out as per its recommendations, which continue to remain in force until a new HR policy is officially adopted.”
The IBPS recruitment drive highlights the persistent manpower shortage in RRBs, raising concerns of non-compliance with NABARD norms. The matter has drawn strong union attention, with demands for urgent corrective action.
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