Centre to recruit 17 officers from pvt sector

This is the fourth initiative since lateral entry — appointment of private sector specialists in government departments — was introduced in 2018. The positions of Joint Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Secretaries across ministries and departments are conventionally held by officers from all-India and Group A services, recruited through the civil services examination. The 17 new recruits will join the 20 specialists previously sought through lateral recruitment, consisting of four Joint Secretaries and 16 Directors and Deputy Secretaries.

The UPSC had issued an advertisement to fill these positions on May 20. As per the requisition received from DoPT, UPSC will proceed to fill the additional 17 posts through lateral entry on a contract basis, according to a statement.

A detailed advertisement and instructions for interested candidates will be available on the UPSC website starting June 3. Prospective applicants will have the opportunity to submit their applications from until July 3.

The selection process will involve shortlisting candidates for interviews based on the information provided in their online applications.

The government started the initiative of lateral entry recruitment in June 2018, calling for applications to 10 Joint Secretary-rank positions, with recruitment conducted by UPSC. In October 2021, UPSC recommended appointment of 31 candidates as Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in various Central government departments as part of the second tranche of lateral entry recruitment.

The UPSC initiated the third round of such recruitment on May 20 by issuing a comprehensive advertisement.