Meet the nine private sector professionals selected as joint secretaries

On Friday, the government made public a list of nine private sector professionals who will gain lateral entry into various central government departments as joint secretaries. The names were recommended by the Union Public Service Commission and are subject to government approval. More than 6,000 candidates had applied for the lateral entry scheme announced in June 2018, with an aim of bringing in domain experts in various departments. It is learnt that the nine individuals recommended for lateral entries will likely take office only after the Lok Sabha elections, when a government is formed at the centre.

Here are six of the candidates:

Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Jagdale is currently director and CEO of Pune-based wind energy company Panama Renewable Group. Before joining Panama, he was the director (marketing) for the India business of German wind company Enercon. According to Panama’s website, it owns and operates two wind power projects totalling 176 Mw. Both units are in Maharashtra.

Jagdale did not respond to multiple calls. Among sector peers, he is known as a shy person who prefers to be away from limelight. A senior executive said Jagdale has fair understanding of the wind business, having worked with a global company such as Enercon which was one of the earlier players in the Indian wind energy market. 

Kakoli Ghosh, Ministry of Agriculture

Ghosh has been coordinator of Academia and Research Institutions of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). She was also part of the management team of the FAO’s Strategic Program on “Making agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable”. She has over 15 years of experience in the agriculture sector, and holds a doctorate in Plant Sciences from the University of Oxford.

Rajeev Saksena, Department of Economic Affairs

An alumni of Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Saksena is currently director — Economic and Infrastructure at the Saarc Development Fund (SDF). He has spent over 22 years in financial institutions and banks. According to the website of SDF, he has been actively involved in managing infrastructure, commercial and economic projects across geographies.

Prior to joining SDF, Saksena worked for over six years in BNP Paribas, New Delhi. He has also worked in Standard Chartered Bank and steered Japanese and Korean investment into Dedicated Freight Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

In an earlier stint with IDBI Bank, Saksena was instrumental in designing and implementing IT-enabled solution for National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA).

Amber Dubey, Ministry of Civil Aviation

Perhaps the person most well-known to the media among all the recommended names, Dubey is currently partner at KPMG India and heads its aerospace and defence unit. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad and has professional experience of over 26 years.

Dubey has worked closely with the government prior to this appointment and contributed to the drafting of the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, and the policy framework for the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

Currently, he is assisting the ministry on India’s national airport strategy and the model concession agreements for greenfield and brownfield airports. Dubey has been the transaction adviser to the governments of Maharashtra, Goa and Andhra Pradesh for greenfield airports at Navi Mumbai, Mopa and Vizag, respectively.

Bhushan Kumar, Ministry of Shipping

A general manager with the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation LNG Limited, Kumar is the head of shipping, business development and contracts departments. Kumar is said to have a vast experience in various shipping projects. He has played a key role in several projects at different ports in India.

His experience would be useful for the Ministry of Shipping in implementing its flagship Sagarmala Project, having several projects of more than Rs 4 trillion.

Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Bajpayee currently serves as state-owned NHPC’s senior manager, environment. Bajpayee holds a doctorate in environmental sciences, and has professional experience of over 18 years. He has also closely worked with the government in the past.

Bajpayee holds an MBA degree from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi University, and an engineering degree from IIT, Roorkee.

With inputs from Megha Manchanda