Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government has directed all departments, including public sector undertakings, to identify and report vacancies to the PSC within three weeks, warning that disciplinary action would be taken against officials who fail to comply, officials said on Friday.

The directive was issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department through an order dated July 1.

The move comes amid criticism of delays in Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) appointments and a large number of vacancies in government services that remain unfilled.

According to the order, the decision was taken at the state cabinet meeting held on June 30.

The government directed all departments and public sector undertakings to identify existing vacancies and report them to the PSC within the stipulated three-week period.

The order further stated that if vacancies are not reported within the deadline, secretaries of the Administrative Reforms Department should initiate action against the officials responsible.

The issue of delays in PSC recruitment and unfilled government posts had figured prominently during the Assembly election campaign, with the UDF promising to streamline the recruitment and create more employment opportunities in the state.