Tech-savvy and multi-tasking executive assistants will replace staffs working as Lower and Upper Division Clerks (LDCs and UDCs) in government jobs as part of key administrative reforms decided by the government today, close on the lines of corporate culture. The new scheme of having a cadre of executive assistants will replace existing Central Secretariat Service (CSS) and Central Secretariat Stenographers Service (CSSS) in about 20-25 years time. Both CSS and CSSS form the backbone of secretarial work in the Central government as they work in different sections and as personal staff to senior officers. The move is based on recommendations of 6th Central Pay Commission which had suggested that multi-skilled executive assistants with educational qualifications of a degree from a recognised university and a one-year diploma in computer education should be recruited. They will perform work of both the present day assistants and stenographers and in their case, CSS and CSSS cadres would become merged. The issue of introduction of executive assistants scheme was also referred to 7th CPC for their views. Interestingly, the Commission did not make any recommendation on the introduction of the scheme in its report submitted to the government recently. As per the proposed scheme, the Executive Assistants (EAs) will be recruited an all India open competition conducted through Staff Selection Commission, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said in a proposed policy in this regard. After six years of service, EAs will be eligible for promotion as Executive Officers (EOs), it said. In the private sector, executive assistants are professionals attached to top-level executives for various administrative jobs. The proposed scheme envisages much-reduced strength in central secretariat which at present is approximately 21,000, will stand reduced to about 8,200, the DoPT said. The proposal is based on assumptions that secretariat functioning will gradually become more Information Technology based and reduce reliance on papers. It will also result in reduced numbers in the personal staff in secretariat
