New Delhi, June 10: The Government of India has invited applications for the top-level post of Joint Secretary across 10 Ministries. In what marks a major deviation from earlier recruitments, the aspirants is neither required to be an IAS officer, nor he/she should have mandatorily cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams. The advertisement issued by the Department of Personnel and Training has neither excluded those from the private sector.

The 10 Ministries where the newly recruited Joint Secretaries will be appointed are: Ministries of Revenue, Financial Services, Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Forest and Climate Change, New & Renewable Energy, Civil Aviation and Commerce.

Notably, the fresh changes recommended by the DoPT comes days after the government proposed a controversial amendment to the cadre allocation process, whereby the foundation score of the candidates would be considered apart from the Mains. Read more about it here.

How to Apply For The Post of Joint Secretary?

Applications are invited at lateral.nic.in, beginning from June 15. The last date for the submission of applications is 5pm, July 30, 2018. All applications must be made online. No physical applications will be entertained.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate should not be less than 40 years in age as of July 1, 2018. The minimum educational qualification required is a graduation certificate from a recognised university. Candidates with higher educational qualifications will have an added advantage.

Who are eligible to apply?

  • Officers of any State/UT Government who are already working at equivalent level or are eligible for appointment to equivalent level in their cadre, with relevant experience.

  • Individuals working at comparable levels in Public, Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Autonomous Bodies, Statutory Organisations, Universities, Recognized Research Institutes with a minimum of 15 years experience.

  • Individuals working at comparable levels in Private Sector Companies, Consultancy Organisations, International/Multinational Organisations with a minimum of 15 years experience.

Other Details

  • Duration of Contract: The period of contract shall be for 3 years from the date of commencement extendable upto 5 years depending upon performance.

  • Compensation: Selected applicants shall be placed at the beginning of the pay scale as applicable to Joint Secretary i.e. Rs.144200-218200 per month (Level 14 of Pay Matrix). In addition, they shall be eligible for all allowances and facilities etc as applicable to the equivalent level in the Government of India. However, the Government reserves its right to place deserving appointees at an appropriate level within the scale of pay.

  • General Conditions of Service: All appointees shall be deemed to be Public Servants for the purpose of the CCS (Conduct) Rules and such other Statutes as notified by the Government from time to time. The employment contract can be terminated by either side with a minimum notice period of 3 months.

  • The shortlisted candidates will be called for a personal interaction with the Selection Committee.

The move is expected to draw apprehensions from various quarters as this would be the first instance where a top-level decision-making post in the Government of India could be bagged by a person who has not been selected by the UPSC. "The IAS has been largely apolitical. This is bound to promote ideologically driven bureaucracy," said veteran scribe Puja Mehra, while commenting on the order.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2018 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).