Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Thursday (10 February) inofrmed that 10 joint secretaries and Jitendra Singh today said that 10 joint secretaries and 19 directors selected throught lateral recruitment have been serving in various central ministries and departments.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that lateral recruitment at the levels of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in the Central government provides for appointment of persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area.

Singh said the selection was undertaken by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of transparent process, inviting applications through open advertisement for these posts.

Candidates from private sector are appointed on contract basis and those from the state government and UT administration as well as public sector enterprises (PSEs), autonomous bodies, statutory organisations, universities, recognised research institutes on deputation basis, for a term of three years, the minister said.

"Ten candidates appointed as Joint Secretary through lateral recruitment (seven selected in 2019 and three selected in 2021), are in position in various ministries and departments," Singh said.

Further, nineteen candidates have been selected in 2021 for appointment to the post of Director on lateral recruitment basis, he added.