NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented move, the Narendra Modi-led Union government has sanctioned 10 positions of joint secretaries through ‘lateral entry’ scheme, arguing it would bring “fresh ideas and new approaches” to governance as also to augment the manpower.
Many serving senior bureaucrats are unhappy with the Modi’s most controversial step and termed the move as “retrograde” pointing out that the proposal throws up more questions than it answers, according to Hindustan Times report.
Former Cabinet Secretary, KM Chandrashekar said that the government first decide the selection process before such hiring.
“What I gather is that these positions of Joint Secretary are thrown open to lateral entry because the government was not getting the right people to fill these vacancies.But we should look at the crucial aspects such as who will hire them, what will be selection process, will UPSC be tasked to hire them. First of all, these issues need to be addressed.”
The Joint Secretary level posts are held by top civil servants who are inducted through a rigorous multi-level competitive exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and make their way up to senior position after years of experience in the government at lower levels.
In an advertisement released on Sunday, the government invited applications for 10 Joint Secretary-level posts through lateral entry.
Any private sector professional above 40 years of age and with 15 years of work experience in any of the 10 fields like civil aviation, commerce, economic affairs, the government may hire you as a joint secretary.
Joint Secretaries are placed at a crucial level of senior management in the government and lead policy-making as well as implementation of various programmes and schemes of the department assigned to them. They report to the Secretary or the Additional Secretary in the respective Ministries.