An open bureaucracy

Appointing specialists is a good idea

The Union Public Service Commission's invitation for applications to fill 45 posts at the joint secretary and director/deputy secretary levels on a contractual basis for three years, extendable to five years, shows the central government's continued commitment to the idea of lateral entry into the bureaucracy. The advertised positions in various departments and ministries, such as the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance are for specialists. For instance, the Union government is looking for a joint secretary in the Department of Financial Services to look at the digital economy, fintech, and cybersecurity.

There are several reasons why the government should take specialists for certain positions and the idea has been discussed at various points. The Sixth Pay Commission, for instance, noted that to reform the system, aside from lateral entry for senior positions, more result-oriented approaches should be introduced.