In a first, nine private sector specialists have been selected for appointment as joint secretaries in central government departments.
Usually, the posts of joint secretaries are manned by the officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS)) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) among others who are selected through a three-phased rigorous selection process undertaken by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The Personnel Ministry had in June last year invited applications for the joint secretary-rank posts through “lateral entry” mode.
The lateral entry mode, which relates to the appointment of specialists from private sector in government organisations, is considered as an ambitious step of the Modi government to bring in fresh talent in bureaucracy.
Government think tank NITI Aayog had in a report highlighted that it was essential that specialists be inducted into the system through lateral entry on a fixed-term contract.
A total of 6,077 applications were received in response to the government’s advertisement.
These posts are in revenue, financial services, economic affairs, agriculture and farmers welfare, road transport and highways, shipping, environment, forest and climate change, new and renewable energy, civil aviation and commerce departments.
However, the ministry had in December decided to entrust the task of selecting the candidates for these posts to the UPSC, that conducts civil services examination to select the country's bureaucrat, diplomats and police officers.
Nine private sector specialists have been recommended for joint secretary posts by the UPSC, that announced the result on Friday, 12 April.
Who Are the Selected Ones?
1. Amber Dubey - Ministry of Civil Aviation
Dubey is a partner at consultancy giant, KPMG in India and heads aerospace and defence.
According to KPMG’s wesbite, he is an alumus of IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad. He has over 26 years of professional experience of over 26 years.
2. Rajeev Saksena - Department of Economic Affairs
According to the official SAARC website, Saksena is the Director – Economic and Infrastructure, SAARC Development Fund (SDF).
He has over 22 years of relevant work experience, and before SDF used to work as Associate Director in BNP Paribas, New Delhi for over 6 years
3. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
According to his LinkedIn, Baypayee is the manager (environment) for NHPC, and has been so for the past 11 years.
He has a Phd in environmental science from Jawaharlal Nehru Vishvavidyalaya in Delhi.
4. Saurabh Mishra - Department of Financial Services
Mishra is an investment adviser at Morgan Stanley. He has also been a director at Ola and a Vice President at Barclays India, he has written on his LinkedIn.
5. Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale - Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Jagdale is Pune-based wind energy firm Panama Renewable Group’s CEO for the past eight years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Prior to this, he was the deputy general manager at Enercon India Limited for close to ten years.
6. Bhushan Kumar - Ministry of Shipping
In his LinkedIn profile, it is revealed that Captain Shashi Bhushan Kumar is a shipboard auditor and shipping consultant from Raigarh, Maharashtra.
7. Kakoli Ghosh - Ministry of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers’ Welfare
The only woman on the list, Ghosh works at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Others selected include Arun Goel for the Department of Commerce, and Suman Prasad Singh for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
(With inputs from PTI)
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