nConcerned over the resignation of lateral entry bureaucrats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a ‘rare’ direct interaction with seven Joint Secretaries (JS) who joined the Government of India after quitting private sectors 14 months ago.
Modi interacted with the officers after The Pioneer reported on December 16, 2020 about one of the nine Joint Secretaries resigning from the service and choosing to get back to an MNC abroad. He was a JS in the Commerce Ministry
Sources in Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said the PM urged the officers to continue working for the country with a lot of zeal as the nation looks towards their expertise in diversified fields and which can contribute in the shaping of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
One of the Joint Secretaries who participated in the interaction with Modi on December 20, however, termed the interaction as “routine”. “It was a routine first interaction after the first batch completed a year in various offices of the Central Government,” he stressed.
While Modi was inquisitive about the feeling, work culture and acclimatisation of the private-professionals-turned-bureaucrats, one of the JS posted on his social media profile that “the PM’s energy level even after a long day in office is inspiring and infectious”.
Those who interacted with Modi on that day were Amber Dubey, who left KPMG and joined Civil Aviation Ministry, Sujit Bajpayee, who left NHPS to join the Environment Ministry, Dinesh Jagdale, the erstwhile CEO of Panama Renewable Energy Group who was posted in the New Renewable Energy Ministry, Kakoli Ghosh, who joined the agriculture ministry, Saurabh Mishra in Financial Services, Rajeev Saksena in the economic affairs department, Suman Prasad Singh in the Road Transport Ministry and Bhuhan Kumar in the Shipping Ministry.
Launched with much fanfare by the Narendra Modi Government in 2018, the lateral entry scheme for senior-level officers drawn from various professions and expertise suffered a setback when Arun Goel resigned.
Sources close to Goel said after having served for about a year at a very powerful post he called it a day due to too much of “bureaucratic grind” in the system. Modi had himself announced senior-level bureaucratic posts in several departments for people who are “talented and motivated” and willing to contribute to nation building.
Sources said the decision of Goel to leave the Government sector could also be because of his insubordination in the Ministry as he had a background of heading a global company. “He had come to join the Government after leaving a handsome package earlier also,” sources said. The JS report to the secretary/additional secretary in the Ministry or Department and are normally appointed from all-India services like the IAS, IPS, IFS and other allied services.
