Union Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh on Tuesday wrote to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman to cancel lateral entry. The UPSC on Saturday issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry -- referred to as the appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments.
In his letter he said, "I am writing to you on the important issue of lateral entry into the Government of India. Recently, the UPSC issued an advertisement related to a number of lateral entry posts at various levels in the Central Government. It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005, chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were also in the same direction.
"However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants. Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc., have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister's Office," he added
"Further, the Hon'ble Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation. For the Hon'ble Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity."
Earlier BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan voiced concern over making any appointments in government posts without providing reservation, as the political row over lateral entry escalated, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleging it was an "attack" on the Dalits, OBCs and adivasis. The Centre on its part accused the Congress of making misleading claims on the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment in bureaucracy being undertaken by it, and asserted that the move will not affect the recruitment of SC/STs in the all India services.
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