6 joint secretaries who joined govt as lateral entries set to get extension

Such appointments were made in 2019 as part of efforts to reform the civil services

Six of the seven lateral-entrant joint secretaries (JS) who joined central government ministries in 2019 are set to get an extension for two more years, an official told Business Standard.

The term is being extended for their exemplary performance, the official said. In 2018, the government invited applications from private sector specialists for 10 joint secretary-rank posts through lateral entry.

In 2019, the government selected nine lateral entrants to work as joint secretaries for three years. Their term was extendable for another two years based on performance. Out of the nine selected in 2019, seven joint secretaries are serving at various government departments. In December 2020, Arun Goel resigned as JS to return to the private sector. Kakoli Ghosh did not join after being selected.

The six joint secretaries whose tenure has been extended for two years are: Saurabh Mishra, JS in the department of financial services (DFS); Sujit Bajpayee, JS in the Ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEF); Dinesh Jagdale, JS in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), S P Singh, JS in the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH); Bhushan Kumar, JS in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Rajeev Saksena, JS in the Department of Economic Affairs.

Amber Dubey, joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, opted out when the government approached him for an extension as he has plans to return to the private sector.
 

"It has been an honour to serve in the government and I will cherish the memories for life. I will of course be available for any help that the Government may require from me on a volunteering basis,” Dubey said.

Around 37 lateral entrants are working as joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary with the centre. These include seven JS appointed in 2019 and 30 officials selected in 2021. Those selected in 2021 include three joint secretaries, 18 directors and nine deputy secretaries.

Private sector specialists were appointed to key government posts as part of efforts to reform the civil services. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Department of Personnel and Training, said in March 2022 earlier governments too had made lateral appointments: the most famous being Manmohan Singh as Chief Economic Advisor in 1972. Manmohan Singh became India’s Prime Minister decades later.

The Narendra Modi government has sought to institutionalise the lateral-entry process by routing it through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and fixing criteria for selection that is objective, transparent and purely merit and experience-based, Jitendra Singh had said.