The UPSC has inducted
nine private sector professionals as joint secretaries in economic ministries ranging from financial services to shipping. The lateral hires – outliers in what’s traditionally been IAS turf – will be on a three-year contract, extendable up to five years. Similar exceptions in the past include former commerce and finance secretary Montek Singh Ahluwalia and former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar. The recruitments, aimed at infusing domain expertise in government departments, now await the
Election Commission’s nod. India has a
shortage of nearly 1,500 IAS officers against a sanctioned strength of 6,553 civil servants.
