NEW DELHI: The government is set to tighten oversight on the controversial “Not Found Suitable” (NFS) provision in faculty recruitment, with a University Grants Commission (UGC) panel likely to recommend that all such cases be reported for review and corrective advice. The plan is to make it mandatory for universities to justify every NFS decision and have it examined by the UGC, which can suggest remedies or alternative recruitment measures.The move, aimed at curbing the alleged misuse of the provision to sideline SC, ST and OBC candidates, comes amid a political slugfest: BJP accuses Congress of having historically manipulated recruitment processes under the pretext of NFS, while the Opposition says vacancies remain high under the Modi government.The “Not Found Suitable Candidates” committee, constituted by the UGC on June 19 , has been tasked with examining the scale and causes of the problem. In its initial note, the panel said a considerable number of vacancies in central universities are attributed to “non-availability of suitable candidates against posts advertised,” an issue repeatedly flagged in parliamentary questions and at other forums. The committee will analyse university-wise and category-wise data, study whether NFS declarations have led to uneven representation and recommend ways to address such disparities.Institutions will have to file detailed reports whenever candidates are rejected as “not suitable” despite meeting eligibility criteria. Government sources said UGC’s scrutiny will help detect bias, identify procedural lapses, and recommend solutions, including fresh recruitment drives or targeted outreach to eligible candidates.