NEW DELHI: Niti Aayog is throwing open its doors to private sector experts to join the government think tank at all levels, including at secretary rank. Unlike in the past, when the bureaucracy would walk into government organisations, Niti Aayog’s policy will ensure that officers have to compete for jobs with applicants from the private sector or academic institutions.
Currently, top jobs are virtually reserved for officers from civil services such as IAS, IPS and IRS. Experts in their field usually join at the rank of members, but there are very few such appointments.
"The attempt is to get the best, brightest and most talented people to work for development of India," Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.
"The days of automatic seniority-based promotion for officers is over as Niti Aayog has come out with a path-breaking initiative to allow lateral entry at all levels, including senior advisers (secretary rank), advisers (additional secretary level), joint advisers and deputy advisers," said a source at the think thank that replaced the Planning Commission.
For the last two years, Niti Aayog has been trying to get talent from the private sector but that has been confined to the junior and middle levels and most have joined as officers on special duty or as young professionals.
Now, according to the new recruitment rules proposed by the Aayog, outside experts will be allowed to apply for all jobs — along with career bureaucrats — and the selection will be on the basis of merit and performance, said an officer.
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