NEW DELHI: Applicants for the 10 joint secretaries posts at the Centre will have to go through interviews to be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission ( UPSC ), sources said. This is being done to avoid any charges of favouritism while inducting professionals and experts from outside in the government jobs, who primarily deal with making policies.

Sources said the issue came up for discussion at a recently held meeting chaired by cabinet secretary P K Sinha. More than 3,000 people have applied for the jobs with a majority of them eyeing the posts in the finance ministry where posts of three joint secretaries will be filled by inducting experts and professionals. The government had invited application for the joint secretaries posts across eight ministries including the finance ministry.

TOI has learned that each ministry will first identify for which particular sector they want to induct an expert through lateral entry and each of them will set up panels to shortlist the candidates . The shortlisted names will be sent to the UPSC for conducting interviews before announcing the names of successful candidates.

Sources said while the UPSC’s selection process involves written test and interviews since these are lateral entries, the government will consider the shortlisting of candidates at the level of each ministry.

Critics of the new scheme had raised doubts whether the government will bring people of their choice for these key posts.

