Taking note of the over 55,000 vacancies in the country's six paramilitary forces, Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday ordered that the recruitment process to fill the posts be expedited, officials said.

Of the total vacancies, 21,000 posts are lying vacant in the country's largest paramilitary force CRPF while there are 16,000 vacant posts in the border guarding force BSF.

Taking stock of the vacancies and recruitment procedure for the paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police during a high-level meeting, the home minister directed initiation of special mechanisms for reducing the delays and fast-tracking the recruitment activities in a time-bound manner, a ministry official said.

Nearly 1.35 lakh youths have been recruited in the paramilitary forces in the last two years.

Among the vacancies, 233 posts are of DSPs and 140 of commandants and DIGs.

The vacancies in the paramilitary forces arise due to retirement, resignation, death, creation of new posts or raising of new battalions, another official said.

The vacancies are filled through various modes, including direct recruitment, promotion and by deputation as per the extant provisions of recruitment rules.

Other forces where there are sizeable vacancies include the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),  the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Assam Rifles.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is primarily deployed for the assistance of state police forces in internal security, fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, and in anti-Naxal operations in Maoist-hit areas.

The Border Security Force (BSF) guards the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, while the SSB protects the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, and the ITBP is deployed along the Sino-Indian border.

The CISF guards the airports, nuclear and industrial installations, sensitive government buildings, Delhi Metro besides others.

The Assam Rifles is deployed for guarding the Indo-Myanmar border and fighting insurgency in the northeast.

The combined strength of the paramilitary forces is around 10 lakh.

Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, director generals of the paramilitary forces and commissioner of the Delhi Police were also present in the meeting.