New Delhi: A year after the Narendra Modi government recruited nine joint secretaries from the private sector, it is now planning to hire as many as 400 directors and deputy secretaries through the process of lateral entry, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said the government has been grappling with an acute shortage of officers at these levels, and recruiting persons through lateral entry will serve the dual purpose of filling in the vacancies and increasing efficiency and expertise in governance.
However, the exact time-frame for these lateral recruitments, or when the advertisements for them will be released, is not yet finalised.
ThePrint reached DoPT spokesperson Shambhu Choudhary for an official comment via calls and a text message, but received no response till the time of publication of this report.
Also read: How to work like IAS officer — lessons taught to 8 lateral entrants recruited by Modi govt
Massive vacancies, many attempts to fill them
There are approximately 1,300 director and deputy secretary posts in the government, of which half are manned by officers from the three All India Services (AIS) — Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service — as well as other central civil services such as Revenue (Income Tax and Customs), Railways, Telecom, Posts, Trade etc. It is for these posts that individuals are expected to be roped in from the private sector, sources said.
The other 650 posts are reserved for officers promoted from the Central Secretariat Service.
“There are massive vacancies at these posts, and despite repeated attempts by the central government to ensure that more officers from states come on central deputation, officers have not been too forthcoming… To ensure that the vacancies do not hamper governance, the government is considering recruiting talent from the private sector,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The government has been repeatedly highlighting the issue of vacancies at these positions. Last week, it tweaked the empanelment policy to ensure that only an officer who has served as director or deputy secretary for two years can become a joint secretary at the Centre.
A senior official from the DoPT had said that the decision was taken to address the problem of vacancies in the central government at the director and deputy secretary levels.
Last year, the government had said it would open up 40 director and deputy secretary posts for lateral entry, for which recruitment would be done by the Union Public Service Commission.
As reported by ThePrint earlier this month, government think-tank NITI Aayog has also recruited 38 experts through lateral entry at the level of director and deputy secretary, extending the government’s bid to inject private talent into governance.
Also read: Lateral entry, biometric attendance won’t fix Modi’s bureaucracy issue. Reinvest in the state
Declining number of officers coming on central deputation
The government is yet to draft recruitment rules for these 400 lateral entry posts, but under the Central Staffing Scheme, deputy secretaries have a four-year tenure, while directors serve for five years.
According to DoPT rules, CSS is a provision to fill posts in the ministries/departments of the government of India at deputy secretary/director-level and above.
“It draws officers from all the state governments and participating Group-A Services. Each year, the Establishment Officer, Department of Personnel and Training, issues a circular to all the chief secretaries of the state governments and the secretaries of ministries which are cadre controlling authorities of the participating Group-A services, requesting them to send names of suitable and willing officers for the Central Staffing Scheme,” the rules state.
However, as reported previously by ThePrint, despite nudges from the Centre in the last few years, the number of officers coming on central deputation under the CSS has been declining.
Government sources say IAS officers typically prefer to come to the Centre at leadership positions, starting from the joint secretary level, and are less inclined to come at DS/director-level posts, for which they get few perks and privileges.
In a letter written to states last year, the Centre had said states are failing to send in the number of IAS officers stipulated in the Central Deputation Reserve (CDR). The CDR determines the limit to which officers can be sent for deputation to the government of India.
“Underutilisation of this reserve, particularly at deputy secretary/director level, causes serious gaps in cadre management,” the DoPT had said in its letter.
“The cadres that have not been forwarding adequate nominations for central staffing scheme at various levels may have to settle for less number of additional senior duty posts in future by way of the corresponding reduction. These aspects have been duly conveyed to the cadre-controlling authorities during the recent meetings taken by the secretary, DoPT,” it had added.
Also read: Subramanian Swamy was right. Modi’s lateral entry plan will make reservations irrelevant
The real target is to speed up the UPA Era Scam related Prosecution, Investigation.
यह सब लायक आदमी जो अपने आप को हस्ती समझते हैऔर अनाप सनाप लिख रहे है और अपने आप को मोदी से समझदार समझ रहे है, इनसे अपना घर और बच्चे तो समभलते नही मोदी के बारे मे बाते करने चले है।हिम्मत है तो मैदान मे आओ चुनाव जी तो और दे श को सम्भालो।
अरे मूर्खो कांग्रस वाली ब्यूरोक्रेसी मोदी जी के काम मे रोडे अटकाने की कोशिश करती रहती है, उस के मुह को रिश्वत का खून लग चुका है, जो आसानी से नही ठीक होगा।मोदी जी किस किस की निगरानी करेगे और किस किस को सजा देंगे?
बहुत इन्तजार कर लिए, सुधारना होता तो सुधर जाते पर नही, अभी भी रिश्वत लेने मे इन्हे डर नही लगता।
गवर्नमेंट चलानी है तो ईमानदार और मेहनती बूरोकरेटस ढूंढने होगे या अपने काम मे एकसपरटस को लाना होगा, इस मे हिन्दुत्व कहा से आ गया।हिन्दुत्व से इतनी घबराहट क्यो है।
इसमे संघ कहा से आ गया? आप वामपंथियो को तो हर समय हिन्दुत्व और संघ के सपने ही आते रहते है।
मोदी जी जान से देश की सेवा कर रहे उन्हे करने दो अपने आप को उनसे ज्यादा समझदार होने का नाटक मत करो। उनकी देश भक्ति और निष्ठा पर सवाल उठाना पाप है।
मै भक्त नही एक देश प्रेमी हूँ और देशपरेमियो की इज्जत करता हूँ
धन्यवाद्। जगदीश ग्रोवर (रिटायरड एगजीकयूटिव इन्जीनियर)
People of talent will never be unwilling under any circumstances. By making irrelevant statements on the motive of the government, its genuine and right steps will only be undermined, and the inertia of bureaucracy will be perpetuated. In fact the present bureaucracy needs a great kick in its face to really shake it up, and for r it to begin to perform. Bureaucrats don’t move to Delhi out of any sense of duty to their motherland. Most land there either to avoid working in Northeastern, or undesirable UT cadres, or if they find their positions too untenable in their States, or to be able to work nearer homes. That would also mean not the best persons end up serving at the Centre. Others landing up in Delhi would be those who have managed to earn their fill, or a little too much to feel safe in their States. Being filled in their hearts by a great smugness, they condescend to sometimes shine at their jobs at the Centre, overtly spurning gratifications mainly owing to their diminishing marginal utility, and to enter the good books of the top political echelons. The PM seems to have thoroughly understood his bureaucrats, and is decidedly and surely taking steps, albeit starting with small ones lest they sabotage things when he may not be at his strongest. These recruitments are to show that there can be much better delivery by them, than by the traditionally picked up babus, and which therefore would justify, rather demand that higher positions also be filled up similarly. Vigilant citizens should take it upon themselves to support the government on such issues, and not make any case for the babus to be justified in their attempts if any to take up cudgels against the government.
People of talent will never be unwilling. By making irrelevant statements on the motive of the government, its genuine and right steps will only be undermined, and the inertia of bureaucracy will be perpetuated. In fact the present bureaucracy needs a great kick in its face to really shake it up, and for r it to begin to perform. Bureaucrats don’t move to Delhi out of any sense of duty to their motherland. Most land there either to avoid working in Northeastern, or undesirable UT cadres, or if they find their positions too untenable in their States, or to be able to work nearer homes. That would also mean not the best persons end up serving at the Centre. Others landing up in Delhi would be those who have managed to earn their fill, or a little too much to feel safe in their States. Being filled in their hearts by a great smugness, they condescend to sometimes shine at their jobs at the Centre, overtly spurning gratifications mainly owing to their diminishing marginal utility, and to enter the good books of the top political echelons. The PM seems to have thoroughly understood his bureaucrats, and is decidedly and surely taking steps, albeit starting with small ones lest they sabotage things when he may not be at his strongest. These recruitments are to show that there can be much better delivery by them, than by the traditionally picked up babus, and which therefore would justify, rather demand that higher positions also be filled up similarly. Vigilant citizens should take it upon themselves to support the government on such issues, and not make any case for the babus to be justified in their attempts if any to take up cudgels against the government.
There was a typo in the Tweet taht I cite above from Yashwant Sinha: The correct wording in the tweet is;
“Earlier I was the Nalayak Baap of a Layak Beta. Now the roles are reversed. That is twitter. I do not approve of my son’s action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win”
I regret the error.
Excellent move. Will definitely lessens dependency on useless direct recruit ‘elite’ bureaucrats . The specialists surely outperform the existing generalists. People should look beyond reservation. ‘State’ will lag behind private sector if ‘glorified clerk’ dominates the administration. This move will also put bureaucracy on their toes and encourage them to improve their skill sets.
Mr S.Jatav: What makes you think that this unorthodox recruitment methods will actually fly ? And what makes you believe that Modi will recruit smart people as opposed to people loyal to the cause of Hindutva above all else? After all, he got rid of the smart ones like Raghuram Rajan, Urjit Patel, Arvind Subramanian and others didn’t he? And instead sought the advice of quacks like Baba Ramdev and Anil Bokil when he went about his hare-brained demonetisation scheme didn’t he ?
This sidewise hiring will only result in the appointment of Hindutva loyalists from his shakha. I won’t be surprised if the existing crop of bureaucrats will join forces to scuttle this move.
Recruitments will be made by the UPSC. That being the case, any bias is ruled out. But if the UPSC is not to be trusted on this, that means all civil servants selected by it so far shouldn’t have been appointed.
Mr Jagdish Pritamdas: Thanks for the response.
The UPSC will only be used for hiring a small volume of bureaucrats, roughly 40 or so as the article states. But even if the UPSC does all recruitments for this lateral entry stunt of Modi, it will not do the trick.
The problem lies, not necessarily in the recruitment process but the fact that once recruited, the civil servant cannot be honest in his post and be a servant of the citizens who pay his salary. He has to primarily be a loyalist to politicians in power and not the people of the country. Starting with Indira Gandhi, the corrupting forces of politics have ensnared the civil services. So much so that the few honest civil servants like Ms Durga Nagla, Ashok Khemka etc. are hounded and threatened because they do not kowtow to politicians.
The corrosion of the “steel frame” i.e. the civil services has not only intensified over the years but it is also almost complete. IAS officers regularly quit the civil services to become full-time politicians. Others realise that it is better not to rock the boat and lose drive. Many become corrupt. As long as politicians fail to respect expertise and regard the civil services as a tool to achieve their own corrupt political and financial ends, an unbiased recruitment or the hiring of experts will have no effect.
The Modi government is no different – probably worse than even the previous governments since Hindutva and loyalty to the cause of Hindutva is also an unwritten rule. The BJP too expects civil servants to give preferential treatment to its own crony capitalists, to go easy on BJP criminals, to go hard on opposition politicians and so on.
And more than previous governments, the BJP has a greater disdain for science, promotes pseudo-science and sidelines experts. Just ask why Raghuram Rajan, Arvind Subramanian, Urjit Patel quit. Even Jagdish Bhagwati, a fellow Gujarati and an economist sympathetic to Modi’s ideas finally refused to work with him.
No Mr Pritamdas – this is another hare-brained idea that will not fly.
Dear sir. You want that terrorists and barbarians are recruited not Hindus. It’s an abuse to the Hindus. They are real humans . Hindutva is not Infamous ideology but a peaceful way of living.
Mr RD Goyal: Thanks for the reply.
Alas, you conflate Hinduism the religion with Hindutva, the political philosophy developed by Savarkar and Golwalkar and now espoused by the BJP, the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and a host of violent right-wing organisations falling under the umbrella of the Sangh Parivar. And in case you have forgotten, Damodar Savarkar was one of the conspirators and co-accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Although, in these topsy-turvy Hindutva times, Godse is the hero and Gandhi is the villain. Temples are being built for Godse and in Hindutva circles the man is venerated. Indeed, even terrorism accused Pragya Thakur, an avowed Godse worshipper was elected by a thumping majority in Bhopal last year – so Godse worship must be a popular pursuit in North India.
It is truly mind-boggling that an educated man like you is ignorant of the provenance of Hindutva. It is an ideology that was inspired by and modelled on the fascist movements of Europe of the 1930s, especially Hitler’s Nazism and Mussolini’s fascism. The RSS for instance, modelled its uniforms and activities on Hitler’s Brownshirts and Mussolini’s Black Shirts – all uniformed men who strutted about and functioned as a violent paramilitary force that roughed up Jews or other dissidents. Pretty much like what the RSS and its affiliates do these days with their lynchings of Muslims.
Lateral recruitments will very likely result in Modi loyalists and Hindutva supporters being recruited, not necessarily qualified people. And since you suggest in your puerile post that people who are not Hindus are barbarians, I guess you regard Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and others to be barbarians. That the semi-literate Hindutva crowd at the helm of affairs in Delhi is turning India into a Hindu Pakistan is one thing. That educated people like you support this descent into fascism is simply unpardonable.
SHAME ON YOU MR RD GOYAL !
Mr RD Goyal: Thanks for the reply.
Alas, you conflate Hinduism the religion with Hindutva, the political philosophy developed by Savarkar and Golwalkar and now espoused by the BJP, the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and a host of violent right-wing organisations falling under the umbrella of the Sangh Parivar. And in case you have forgotten, Damodar Savarkar was one of the conspirators and co-accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Although, in these topsy-turvy Hindutva times, Godse is the hero and Gandhi is the villain. Temples are being built for Godse and in Hindutva circles the man is venerated. Indeed, even terrorism accused Pragya Thakur, an avowed Godse worshipper was elected by a thumping majority in Bhopal last year – so Godse worship must be a popular pursuit in North India.
It is mind-boggling that an educated man like you is ignorant of the provenance of Hindutva. It is an ideology that was inspired by and modelled on the fascist movements of Europe of the 1930s, especially Hitler’s Nazism and Mussolini’s fascism. The RSS for instance, modelled its uniforms and activities on Hitler’s Brownshirts and Mussolini’s Black Shirts – all uniformed men who strutted about and functioned as a violent paramilitary force that roughed up Jews or other dissidents. Pretty much like what the RSS and its affiliates do these days with their lynchings of Muslims.
Lateral recruitments will very likely result in Modi loyalists and Hindutva supporters being recruited, not necessarily qualified people. And since you suggest in your puerile post that people who are not Hindus are barbarians, I guess you regard Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and others to be barbarians. That the semi-literate Hindutva crowd at the helm of affairs in Delhi is turning India into a Hindu Pakistan is one thing. That educated people like you support this descent into Hindutva fascism is simply unpardonable.
SHAME ON YOU MR RD GOYAL !
It is a process of filling rss cadre into important appointments so that they can easily ride the entire system in future…god save this country
Well said Mr/Ms Indian !
You would probably need to have pucca shakha credentials more than anything else ! After all, mots of the really qualified experts have either left or refuse to work for the Godhra kid !
People need to raise voice against this corruption of bypassing upsc and hiring so called experts. This is propaganda to hire foreign educated uppar class sections who can’t compete through exams.
Rip right to equal opportunity.
Mr Shubham: It is unlikely that there will be any hiring of :
“.. foreign educated uppar class sections who can’t compete through exams ..”
you refer to in your post.
The foreign educated fellows may be hard to manage. And given his RSS background, PM Modi prefers the shakha types. Birds of a feather and so forth. I think the few lathi-wielding gaurakshaks who can also wield a pen when not scratching their scrotums are the ones likely to get hired.
Please do not panic Sir.
It is clearly written in this news that recruitment will be done by UPSC. Their will be advertisement for the posts in due time.
What a mismanagement????
Probably an opportunity to rope in pro government team which can serve the interest of persons in power.
An apt comment Mr Ajay Gupta !
The slightly more intellectual types from the shakhas will get taken off gaurakshak duties and re-deployed for facilitating crony capitalists and BJP politicians to make a quick buck.
better hire all minister from private companies. minister rate for hiring is 300 rs only. for big minister’s and officers 150 only
Is it an acceptance that in the modern diversified world the SUN CANNOT SHINE OUT THE BACKSIDE OF AN IAS.
Shows people of talent are not willing to work under present dispensation.or may be a ploy to recruit cadres.
OR
During previous dispensations, bribes were available more easily ?
Dear sir. You want that terrorists and barbarians are recruited not Hindus. It’s an abuse to the Hindus. They are real humans . Hindutva is not Infamous ideology but a peaceful way of living.
‘or may be a ploy to recruit cadres.’
You mean RSS ? If so, you are right. In fact, you are right on both counts. People with talent cannot work with uneducated types, with Sanghi mentality..
Mr Gopalakrishna Suri: you hit the nail on the head Sir !
Fact is, the Hindutva espousing Modi government holds expertise in high disrespect. We have seen the forced exits and departures of people of the calibre of Dr Raghuram Rajan, Arvind Subramanian, Urjit Patel and many others who found out thateir education counted for nothing and that it was obesiance to Modi that counted. The Modi coined phrase “Hard work is better than Harvard” actually means that neither Harvard nor hard work are necessary as long as you kowtow to the wisdom of the Great Gujarathi genius !
Thus, former Union Minister and Harvard graduate Jayant Sinha quickly realised that it was not his Harvard education that mattered but loyalty to the cause of Hindutva and Modiji. Hence, Harvard man Jayant Sinha garlanded 8 gaurakshaks convicted of the lynching of Alimuddin Ansari (ref: bit.ly/3dPhVUc) and offered them sweets. No censure from Modi to be seen or heard. Of course, a shocked former minister Yashwant Sinha who is the father of Jayant Sinha tweeted:
“.. Earlier I was the nalayak baap (foolish father) of a layak baap (foolish father) of a layak beta (meritorious son). Now the roles are reversed. That is Twitter. I do not approve of my son’s action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win .. ”
Loyalty to the fascist ideology of Hindutva is the new litmus test of meritocracy in India. Expect the new recruitments be confined to loyalists to the Sangh Parivar agenda of violent Hindutva,
Do you want all anti-nationals to be taken. Hard working personnel are required. Loyalty to the Govt is a Bonafide qualification not an evil sir.
Mr RD Goyal: Loyalty and allegiance to the Constitution is what the civil servant’s oath is all about. And the political parties that form the government of the day at a given time also swear their allegiance to the Constitution. That is what is expected to happen.
Unfortunately, in India today, we have a situation where the civil servant is expected to be loyal to the government even when the government violates the Constitution. Thus, with a pliant and an increasingly corrupt civil service, she was able to implement the Emergency and set aside the Constitution. Successive governments have actually made the civil services a tool in the furtherance of the politicians that man the government. The Modi government is no different and indeed only tightens the political grip on the civil servant. In many areas, the government itself has essentially shredded the Constitution and the civil servant is least bothered.
Of course, you have the odd upright civil servants like Ashok Khemka and Durga Nagpal who serve the people and do not abide by the diktats of their political masters when these are unconsitutional. ANd they receive death-threats, get transferred and then get sidelined.
You ask me whether anti-nationals should be taken. Certainly not. But what is the litmus test for an anti-national Mr RD Goyal? For instance, are non-Hindus anti-nationals? Isn’t that what you are hinting at Sir? Recruit Hindus – to hell with Muslims, Sikhs, Christians is what you want right?