In a significant development, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday wrote to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy. Citing PM Modi's directions, the union minister called for a need for lateral entry to align with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provision of reservations. The union minister in the letter wrote that while most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of the Central government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open.
Why UPSC asked to cancel advertisement?
"The 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,” Union Minister Jitendra Singh wrote in the letter.
The development comes after the UPSC recently issued an advertisement seeking ‘talented and motivated Indian nationals’ for lateral recruitment to various senior positions including Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs.
This advertisement from the UPSC triggered a debate on lateral entry into bureaucracy, especially after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticised the process, which the BJP has countered by pointing out that the concept was initially developed under a Congress-led government.
What is lateral entry into bureaucracy?
The lateral entry into bureaucracy is a practice to recruit individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres to fill mid and senior-level positions. It was earlier formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018. In this process, the candidates are typically recruited on contracts ranging from three to five years, with potential extensions based on performance.
The whole idea of the process is to address complex governance and policy implementation challenges by tapping into external expertise.
Interestingly, the primary concept of lateral entry into bureaucracy has historical precedence. It was first recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) established in 2005 during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Congress. Chaired by Veerappa Moily, the ARC advocated for lateral entry to fill roles requiring specialised knowledge unavailable within traditional civil services. These recommendations stressed on recruiting professionals from the private sector, academia and PSUs to improve policy implementation and governance.
In general, the reservation in public jobs and universities is implemented through the 13-point roster policy. However, a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) circular stated that there are no mandatory reservations for appointments on deputation, and the current process of filling posts through lateral entry is considered a close approximation of deputation.
Why is the Opposition criticising move?
Recently, the UPSC issued an advertisement seeking "talented and motivated Indian nationals" for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. The move from UPSC triggered a debate on lateral entry into bureaucracy, especially after Rahul Gandhi criticised the process. Notably, Rahul Gandhi has been vocal about the lateral entry into UPSC, accusing the Central government of using it as a backdoor to recruit officers loyal to the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In post on X, Rahul Gandhi alleged that lateral entry is being used to sidestep the UPSC and deny reservations to candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed lateral entry as part of a 'well-planned conspiracy' to exclude marginalised communities from government jobs.
Moreover, Tejashwi Yadav and Mayawati also condemned the move, saying it deprives underprivileged candidates of opportunities for advancement within the government.
