In a first, MEA to recruit academicians, private sector people

NEW DELHI: A meeting of the Parliamentary panel on External Affairs held in the backdrop of 'Lalitgate' controversy today saw no reference of the issue with the ministry informing about its plan to recruit people from academic and private sector for the first time in its history.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs met here to discuss recruitment structure and capacity building of IFS cadre.

Deposing before the committee, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and other top officials of the MEA informed that for the first time in its history, the ministry will advertise for positions in its Public Policy Division aiming talent from the academic world and private sector.

"Though there are lateral recruitments from army and other such organisations into the MEA, it is for the first time it plans to advertise seeking talent from outside government," committee chairman Shashi Tharoor told PTI after the meeting.

"Good 2 let new thinking into MEA," he later tweeted. The standing committee is also discussing the need for a separate UPSC examination for cadre, mid-career entry and in-service training and orientation of MEA officials.

Sources said during the meeting there was no reference to the controversy surrounding External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi in getting travel documents in the UK on humanitarian grounds.

"We discussed a serious issue and raising the controversial subject in the meeting would have been the most inappropriate thing to do...of course the matter did not come up even once," a member said.