Centre to recruit 20 private sector specialists as joint secretaries, directors, deputy secretaries

NEW DELHI —The Centre has decided to recruit 20 private sector specialists as joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries on contract basis in its 12 departments, an official statement issued on Thursday said.

This is the third such recruitment drive proposed to be undertaken by the Narendra Modi government.

The Department of Personnel and Training has asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit such specialists through “lateral entry” — that is appointment of private sector specialists in government departments.

Usually, the post of joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries are manned by officers of all-India and Group A services, among others.

The proposed recruitment will be done for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Department of Food and Public Distribution in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Select posts in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education will also be filled through this lateral recruitment, according to the Personnel Ministry statement.

Four joint secretaries and 16 directors/deputy secretaries will be inducted through lateral recruitment in these ministries/departments, it said.

The detailed advertisement and instructions to the candidates will be uploaded on the Commission’s website on May 20, 2023, the statement said, adding that interested candidates can apply from May 20, 2023, to June 19, 2023.

Candidates will be shortlisted for an interview on the basis of the information provided by them in their online application, it said.

“They must ensure that such information is correct,” the statement said.

The Personnel Ministry had in June 2018 invited applications against 10 joint secretary-rank posts through lateral entry mode for the first time.

The recruitment for these posts was done by the UPSC.

The Commission, in October 2021, recommended 31 candidates for the appointment as joint secretaries (3), directors (19), and deputy secretaries (9) in different central government departments, as part of the second tranche of lateral entry recruitment.

Now, the process for such recruitment for the third time will be initiated by the government from May 20 onward.