Narendra Modi government to appoint experts from private sector to key posts in central government. The appointment is for the posts of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary. Generally candidates from All India Services i.e. IAS and IPS are considered for the said posts. But the Center has decided to appoint three persons for the post of Joint Secretary and 22 persons for the post of Director/Deputy Secretary from the private sector, according to official sources. At present, the appointment of 25 people has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister.
The move is to induct these experts into government services as a lateral entry. Lateral entry to government services was introduced for the first time in 2018. The posts of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary are positions that play a major role in the policy making of the government. Appointments to these posts are generally made by UPAC. It has been decided to hire people from the private sector through lateral entry, keeping in mind the need for more talented new candidates to fill these positions.
In June 2018, the Ministry of Personnel had invited applications for 10 Joint Secretary posts. People are selected for this post by UPAC itself. Then in October 2021, the commission again recommended 31 candidates for appointment. Out of that, 3 people were selected for the post of Joint Secretary, 19 people for the post of Director, and 9 people for the post of Deputy Secretary. Figures show that a total of 38 experts from the private sector have been appointed to government positions since 2018. 10 of them were appointed as Joint Secretary and 28 as Director and Deputy Secretary. 33 of them are still in service.
Positions recruited through lateral entry are entirely in departments requiring expertise in some particular field. People are selected for this either from the private sector or from state governments and government-controlled institutions.
