Election Commission nod awaited on lateral entry of joint secretaries

On Friday, the UPSC announced nine candidates recommended as lateral entrants to serve as joint secretaries in various economic ministries

The nine officers inducted through lateral entry as joint secretaries in various ministries in the government of India may have to wait for clearance from the Election Commission (EC) to join their departments. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is also expected to make similar checks with the EC before transferring or promoting other senior officers across departments. 

The prudence that the government is exercising this time for even routine appointments is a contrast from the last general election in 2014. While there were no lateral entrants then, throughout April 2014 the DoPT issued a flurry of orders to transfer