The 66th GB Minutes on 13th February 2023 “noted the creation of 3 posts of Deputy Secretary for the Office of the Secretary, Auroville Foundation”. The Auroville Foundation invited on 5th September 2024 applications for the positions of 3 Deputy Secretaries (Security, Accounts & Audit, and Administration) and one Under Secretary.
The Deputy Secretary posts are for government officers on a deputation basis, whereas the Under Secretary post is “by promotion from the feeder post of Finance and Administrative Officer in the Auroville Foundation,” failing which by deputation or on a contract basis.
The last date for submission of the applications was 4th October 2024.It was then extended to 11th October and then to 11th November. It has now been extended to 22nd January 2025, according to the latest corrigendum.
Apparently, there are not many serving civil service officers with the required qualifications applying for the advertised tenures in the Auroville Foundation. Thirty seven years since the Auroville Foundation Act was passed in the Parliament, only 4 serving officers from the civil services as Secretaries and 2 serving officers as Deputy Secretaries have been appointed in the Auroville Foundation. This, in spite of re-advertisements for the post of Secretary in the past.
It is high time for the Foundation to include the lateral entry system in the current recruitment thereby allowing candidates with domain knowledge from the private sector, academia, or public enterprises on contractual basis. As lateral entry may also promote a shift away from bureaucratic red-tapism and facilitate governance more responsive to people, the Foundation ought to have no hesitation to make use of it. The ministry may also welcome lateral entry as it had already included the same in its previous advertisements for the post of Secretary.
For more background details on the recruitment see my previous article: https://tinyurl.com/4whsbd2d
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