BUSINESS AS USUAL

It says something about the high confidence of the Modi sarkar in its returning to power. Sources reveal that the Niti Aayog held interviews to select incumbents for five positions of adviser (joint secretary level) and senior adviser (assistant secretary level) to look after sectors like Economics, Transport, Energy, Human Resources, etc.

These posts were advertised in June last year and the central government received 300 applications, out of which only 13 candidates were finally shortlisted by the screening committee comprising of Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant, special secretary Yaduvendra Mathur, and joint secretary Alok Kumar.

Surprisingly, the screening committee was constituted only in the second week of April 2019, or almost eight months after the posts were advertised.

Out of 13 shortlisted candidates, four have reportedly expressed unwillingness for the coveted positions, leaving only nine candidates in the fray. Some of these candidates are still awaiting cadre clearance, integrity certificates and APRs. Also, one school of thought has pointed out that for five senior (joint secretary and assistant secretary level) positions, the nine shortlisted candidates are too few to pick from. But clearly, this view is not shared by some at the helm!

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