Mamata Banerjee government is following in the footsteps of the BJP-led central government by opting for lateral entry into the bureaucracy in senior positions like special secretaries and joint secretaries.
These officers, to be posted in various departments, can be seen as consultants in the Lateral Entry Scheme, although their exact job profiles and details of responsibilities are yet to be “chalked out”.
All these appointments will be contractual for a specific period only. The minimum eligibility for such lateral entrants would be 15 years of relevant experience.
The pay and perks of these lateral entry officers would be worked out by the state Home Personnel and Administrative Reforms department.
Anyone with a minimum experience of 15 years in the fields of civil aviation, commerce, economic affairs will be eligible for the positions. As of now, it has been decided that the age of the candidate should not be less than 40 years.
The proposal will soon be sent to the chief minister’s office for a final nod.
This February, the central government had advertised 30 posts at the level of joint secretaries and directors for lateral recruitment.
