mumbai the steady stream of applications for government jobs has turned into a flood with the states mega recruitment drive attracting 32 lakh applicants for 31888 vacancies since january it roughly translates into a mindboggling 100 aspirants for each posta third of the applicants 112 lakhis seeking one of the 13514 vacant posts in the rural development department but the toughest competition seems to be for the 729 vacancies for livestock supervisors and attendants in the animal husbandry department with 452 applicants vying for each post it has received 33 lakh applicationsthe 31888 vacancies across 13 departments are mainly for grade iii and iv employees for departments including fisheries agriculture public works animal husbandry forest department finance department soil and water conservation departments and rural developmentshortly before the lok sabha polls the fadnavis government had lifted a job freeze and announced a recruitment drive for 72000 vacancies the jobs were to be filled in phases over the next two years however the court case over maratha reservations slowed down the processgovernment jobs considered safe thus a flood of applicationsclose on the heels of the rush for the animal husbandry department jobs is that for forest guards with 448 applicants for each vacancy the forest department had advertised 900 vacancies and received 4 lakh applicationsother departments also received applications running into lakhs the revenue department got 56 lakh applications for 1802 posts of talathis or revenue officials the public health department received 42 lakh applications for 5778 posts the finance department received 174 lakh applications for 932 posts including account clerk audit clerk and junior accountantthe demand for government jobs remains high because they are viewed as safe jobs with little fear of retrenchment government jobs also provide wage employment and good salaries especially after the implementation of the 7th pay commission said tiss labour studies professor bino paul government jobs also provide postretirement benefits including pension and gratuity which may not be available in private sector employment he pointed out