35 private sector specialists appointed in central govt depts since 2018: Centre

New Delhi: As many as 35 private sector specialists have been appointed in different central government departments through the lateral entry mode, the Centre said on Wednesday.

The lateral recruitment, at the levels of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary in central government, has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said.

So far, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry out of which 35 appointments were from the private sector, he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Presently, 57 officers are in positions in ministries/departments, the minister said.

To a question on whether the reservation policy was taken into consideration in the lateral entry mode, Singh said reservation does not apply to such single post appointments.

"Eligible candidates from reserved categories are considered along with other eligible candidates. However, reservation is not applicable to such single post appointment," he added.