New Delhi, Apr 13 (IANS): Actor Manoj Bajpayee says he is happy that his younger brother Sujit Kumar Bajpayee has been appointed joint secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

"We are all feeling very proud. We knew he is hardworking, honest and a man of integrity. We can actually vouch for his honesty, integrity, love for his work and his duty," Manoj told IANS.

"I am not surprised that he has been elevated. We are six brothers and we are feeling proud of this little one. He is one of the youngest in our family," he said. The actor continued: "It is all because of hard work, integrity and sense of duty that he is achieving what he has got today."

Manoj may be elated over the decision by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), but Sujit's appointment as joint secretary has raised eyebrows because as a senior manager in public sector power producer NHPC, he is too junior for the key decision-making post in the government.

Some senior IAS officers told IANS hiring domain experts as joint secretaries was a welcome move, but expressed surprise at the appointment of Bajpayee, a junior officer in a PSU, in the elite club.

"As per Sujit's bio-data, he joined NHPC in 2001. It has to be seen if all the Group A officers who entered all-India service through the UPSC in the same year have become joint secretary. Whether he was an exceptional professional and given promotions? If not, then it is even more worrying," said a secretary-level officer.