Govt sanctions over 60% manpower boost for ED

New Delhi, May 27, 2026

Synopsis
The Union government has greenlit an ambitious expansion plan for the Enforcement Directorate, adding over 1,200 new investigators and personnel. This boost increases the agency's workforce by over 60%, marking a significant restructuring after a 15-year pause.

The Union government on Wednesday sanctioned a significant manpower boost for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), authorising more than 1,200 additional investigators and staff for the anti-money laundering agency.

Officials told PTI that the Ministry of Finance had approved the much-awaited cadre restructuring of the agency after 15 years, enhancing its workforce by more than 60 per cent -- from 2,029 to 3,256.

The ministry revised the ED's strength by 1,227 personnel across its six cadres, which include the executive, legal, and adjudication verticals that form the core of its investigation setup, officials said.

Of this total, 803 additional officials have been added to the rank of Assistant Enforcement Officer, 606 to Enforcement Officer, and 531 to Assistant Director of Enforcement.

The agency's last cadre restructuring was undertaken in 2011.

The 70-year-old agency implements the criminal provisions of two stringent laws -- the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), in addition to the civil sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

[The Economic Times]