Two days after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued advertisements for lateral recruitment into government service for 45 posts at the levels of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary, the government has moved to cancel these planned recruitments, citing concerns related to social justice.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has written to the head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today, requesting the cancellation of the commission's recent advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy. The UPSC had recently issued an advertisement inviting applications from "talented and motivated Indian nationals" for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. These positions include roles such as Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary across 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts available.
This move has sparked a debate on the concept of lateral entry into the bureaucracy, especially following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent criticism of the process. The BJP, in response, pointed out that the idea of lateral entry was originally developed under a Congress-led government. In his letter, Union Minister Jitendra Singh emphasized that "while most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, our government has made efforts to ensure the process is institutionally driven, transparent, and open." He also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly committed to ensuring that the process of lateral entry aligns with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly with regard to the provisions of reservation.
Lateral entry into the bureaucracy refers to recruiting individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments. This approach was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018. It represented a significant shift from the traditional practice where senior bureaucratic positions were almost exclusively filled by career civil servants. According to government sources, the idea of lateral entry was first proposed during the Congress-led UPA government in the mid-2000s. In 2005, the UPA established the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) under the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily, which was tasked with recommending reforms to the Indian administrative system. Mr. Singh’s letter noted that while the concept of lateral entry was initially endorsed by the Second ARC and later supported by the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013, its implementation historically lacked transparency and fairness.
Mr. Singh emphasized in his letter that for Prime Minister Modi, reservation in public employment is a fundamental aspect of India’s social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity. He underscored the importance of upholding the constitutional mandate toward social justice to ensure that deserving candidates from marginalized communities receive their rightful representation in government services. Mr. Singh cited several high-profile instances where lateral entrants were appointed to key positions without adhering to proper reservation protocols. These appointments included leadership roles within the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and even Secretary-level posts in various ministries during previous administrations.
In his letter, Mr. Singh expressed concern that these positions were often treated as specialized, single-cadre posts, which meant that no provisions for reservations were applied in these appointments. He emphasized the need to review and reform this approach in line with Prime Minister Modi's commitment to ensuring social justice. "This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister's focus on ensuring social justice. Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment," the letter stated.
Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, accused the Modi government of using lateral entry as a backdoor method to recruit officers loyal to the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Gandhi alleged that lateral entry was being used to bypass the UPSC and deny reservations to candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
In response, the BJP defended the process, pointing out that the concept of lateral entry was actually developed during the Congress-led UPA government. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily, had recommended lateral recruitment as a way to fill gaps in roles that required specialized knowledge.
With inputs from agencies
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