Forty-five specialists will soon be joining key posts of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries in different central ministries as part of the Modi government's ambitious plan to infuse fresh talent to further improve ease of governance.
Usually, such posts are manned by the officers of all-India services -- the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) -- and other Group A services, among others.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Saturday advertised 45 posts -- 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries -- to be filled through the lateral entry mode on contract basis.
"The government of India has submitted the requisitions for lateral recruitment of joint secretary and director/deputy secretary level officers. Accordingly, on line applications are invited from talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation building to join the government at the level of joint secretary or director/deputy secretary...," reads the advertisement.
The vacancies in different ministries/departments with headquarters at New Delhi, are to be filled on contract basis (on deputation for officers of states/UT cadres, public sector undertakings (PSUs), autonomous bodies, statutory organisation, universities, recognized research institutes) for a period of three years (extendable to five years depending upon performance) through website https://www.upsconline.nic.in by September 17, it said.
The 10 posts of joint secretaries are in Home, Finance and Steel ministries among others. Thirty-five posts of director/deputy secretary-level will be filled in the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Civil Aviation and Information & Broadcasting among others.
The latest induction is being done through the lateral entry mode -- referred to as the appointment of private sector specialists in government departments -- aimed at bringing fresh talent and perspective into the government.
The lateral recruitment, at the levels of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary in the central government, has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area. The officers at these levels play an important role in policy-making.
So far, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry out of which 35 appointments were from the private sector. At present, 57 officers are in positions in ministries/departments, according to the latest data.
The posts of Joint Secretary (Policy & Plan), NDMA, Ministry of Home Affairs, Joint Secretary (Emerging Technologies) and Joint Secretary (Semiconductors and Electronics) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Joint Secretary (Digital Economy, Fin Tech and Cyber Security), Department of Financial Services and Joint Secretary (Investment), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Joint Secretary (Shipping), Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, among others are to be filled through the latest recruitment drive. Of the total of 35 posts of directors/deputy secretaries, a highest of eight are to be filled in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, followed by three each in the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Law and Justice, among others. The posts of directors/DS in the Home, Education, Corporate Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, External Affairs, Steel and Finance Ministries, among others, will also be filled through the lateral entry mode, according to the UPSC's advertisement.
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