Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, stated that the Ministry of Cooperation currently has 91 vacant posts, including reserved-category posts, as of 3 December 2025. The Ministry has a total of 209 sanctioned posts, of which 118 are filled.
The Ministry of Cooperation, created on 6 July 2021 after being carved out of the Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, continues to rely on Cadre Controlling Authorities such as DoPT, DEA, and MOSPI for recruitment under their respective service rules. These authorities are responsible for implementing reservation policies in all recruitments.
Vacancies have shown a steady decline since the Ministry’s formation. Vacant posts dropped from 159 in 2022-23 to 120 in 2023-24, 95 in 2024-25, and further to 91 in 2025-26.
Shah also shared that the Ministry has increasingly depended on contractual manpower for specialised tasks. Consultant hiring rose significantly, with 5 consultants in 2022-23, 19 in 2023-24, 18 in 2024-25, and 17 in 2025-26. These appointments are made through open advertisements, and category-wise data is not maintained.
Additionally, some vacancies are being managed through outsourced staff, including Data Entry Operators, Multi-Tasking Staff, and housekeeping workers, recruited via the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) as per General Financial Rules.
