As part of the Modi government’s ambitious ambition to infuse such talents to further improve ease of governance, authorities said today that 25 specialists from the private sector will soon be joining critical roles in the Centre.
They added that 22 directors/deputy secretaries and three joint secretaries have been appointed to various central government ministries by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Officers of the all-India services, which include the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS), and other Group A services, often hold the positions of joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries.
According to the officials, the most recent induction is being carried out through the lateral entry mechanism, also known as the hiring of private sector professionals in government ministries, with the goal of introducing new talent and perspectives into the government.
Recruitments are conducted at the joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary levels under the 2018 lateral entry system. These officers are crucial to the formulation of policy.
Officers who pass the lateral entry procedure are integrated into the government structure.
For the first time, the Personnel Ministry opened applications for ten joint secretary-rank positions in June 2018 through the lateral entrance route. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) handled the hiring process for these positions.
According to the officials cited above, the Commission had once more in October 2021 nominated 31 individuals for appointment as directors (19), deputy secretaries (9) and joint secretaries (3) in various central government ministries.
They added that thus far, 38 professionals from the business sector, comprising 10 joint secretaries and 28 directors/deputy secretaries, have joined the government.
According to them, 33 such specialists—eight joint secretaries, sixteen directors, and nine deputy secretaries—are currently employed by important government ministries. Two of the joint secretaries have already served their entire three-year term.
Recruitments for roles requiring domain specialisations are made under the lateral entry plan, either from the private sector or from state governments, autonomous organisations, public sector undertakings, etc.
