Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement on August 17, 2024, in which applications were invited from eligible candidates for recruitment through lateral entry to 45 posts of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries of the Central Government. People with appropriate qualifications and having experience of working in State and Union Territory Governments, Public Sector Companies (PSUs), Research Institutes and Universities and even in the private sector are eligible to apply under Lateral Entry. Are eligible. Disabled candidates can also apply for all the posts.
Opposition parties are strongly criticizing the central government for recruitment to important posts in the bureaucracy through lateral entry. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X, ‘Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and tribals. BJP wants to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservation from Bahujans. BSP chief Mayawati said that if SC, ST and OBC did not get representation under their prescribed quota in these appointments, it would be a direct violation of the Constitution. Let us understand what is the idea behind lateral entry and how it came into existence…
When did the lateral entry concept come and what does it mean?
The Congress-led UPA government was the first to come up with the lateral entry concept. In the year 2005, the second Administrative Reforms Commission was formed and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily was the chairman of this commission. In the report titled ‘Renovation of Personnel Administration – Reaching New Heights’, one of the major recommendations of the Commission was to introduce lateral entry into higher government posts which require specialized knowledge and skills.
The commission had emphasized on 5 points regarding lateral entry.
Expertise required: According to the Commission, some government roles require specific knowledge and skills, which are not always available in traditional civil service officers. To meet this shortage, the Commission had recommended recruitment of professionals from the private sector, education and public sector undertakings through lateral entry into the bureaucracy.
Creation of talent pool: The Commission had proposed the creation of a talent pool of professionals who could be inducted into the government on short-term or contract basis. The Commission had said in its recommendation that these professionals will bring new perspective and expertise in sectors like economy, finance, technology and public policy.
Transparent Selection Process: The Commission stressed on a transparent and merit-based selection process for officers appointed through lateral entry and suggested setting up a dedicated agency to oversee their recruitment and management.
Performance Management System: The Commission had recommended developing a robust performance management system to hold lateral entry recruits accountable for their work and regularly assess their contribution.
Integration with Civil Services: The Commission had stressed the importance of integrating lateral entry appointees into the existing civil services in a manner that maintains the civil service system and leverages the expertise and skills of professionals through lateral entry. Could.
When was lateral entry started in bureaucracy?
NITI Aayog, in its 2017 report on its three-year action agenda, had recommended recruitment through lateral entry at middle and senior levels in the central government. It was said that the officers appointed through lateral entry will be part of the Central Secretariat. Appointments under lateral entry will be on a 3-year contract, which can be extended up to a total of 5 years. Till that time only career diplomats (civil service officers) were appointed in the Central Secretariat.
Applications for appointment under lateral entry were invited for the first time in 2018. But this recruitment was only for Joint Secretary level posts. Director and Deputy Secretary level posts were opened for lateral entry later. A Joint Secretary, appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, is the third highest post in a department (after Secretary and Additional Secretary), and acts as the administrative head of a wing in the said department. . The post of Director is one rank below Joint Secretary, and the post of Deputy Secretary is one rank below Director. However in most ministries, they perform similar functions. Directors/Deputy Secretaries are considered middle level officers in a department. Joint Secretary is the post where decisions are taken.
Central government’s logic behind lateral entry
Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), had told the Rajya Sabha in 2019 that ‘the objective of lateral entry is to achieve the dual objectives of bringing new talent into the bureaucracy as well as ensuring the availability of manpower. While replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 2024, Jitendra Singh said, ‘Keeping in mind the expertise and skills of professionals in their field of work, through lateral entry at the level of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in the Government of India. He will be appointed.
The idea behind lateral entry is that the government wants to utilize the expertise and skills of individuals who have long experience of working in a particular field, whether they are career diplomats or not. In line with this idea, over the years officers from various Central Civil Services have been given the opportunity to serve in the Central Secretariat, which was always considered to be IAS-dominated.
How many recruitments have taken place through lateral entry so far?
The first round of recruitment under lateral entry started in 2018. Then the government had received a total of 6,077 applications for Joint Secretary level posts. After UPSC completed the selection process, names of nine professionals were recommended for appointment in nine different ministries/departments in 2019. Applications were invited for the second time for lateral entry in 2021. Then in May 2023, advertisement for recruitment through lateral entry was issued by UPSC. Jitendra Singh had told in the Rajya Sabha on August 9 this year that, ’63 appointments have been made through lateral entry in the last five years. At present, 57 professionals are working on various posts in Central Ministries/Departments.
Why criticize recruitment through lateral entry?
Lateral entry is being criticized by other opposition parties including Congress on the grounds that there is no quota set for SC, ST and OBC candidates in such recruitments. Reacting to the recent UPSC advertisement, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, ‘Lateral entry is part of a well-planned conspiracy and BJP is deliberately doing such recruitments in jobs so that SC, ST, OBC categories can be kept away from reservation. ‘ Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav condemned this move of the Central Government and called it a ‘dirty joke’. He said that if these 45 appointments were made through the Civil Services Examination, then almost half the posts would have been reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates.
Why is there no provision for reservation in lateral entry?
The DoPT had said in a circular dated May 15, 2018, that ‘There will be reservation for SC/ST/OBC candidates in appointments lasting 45 days or more in Central Government posts and services.’ However, on November 29, 2018, when the first round of lateral entry was going on, DoPT Additional Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi wrote a letter to UPSC Secretary Rakesh Gupta, saying, ‘State governments, public sector, autonomous bodies are eligible for lateral entry. Applicants having work experience in statutory bodies, universities are to be considered.
The letter further said, ‘They will be taken on deputation (temporary appointment of an employee to work in another department) in the departments related to their work area. There are no instructions regarding implementation of reservation system in appointment on deputation. The present system of filling these posts (lateral entry) can be considered close to deputation, where mandatory reservation for SC/ST/OBC is not necessary. However, if SC/ST/OBC candidates apply for lateral entry, and they satisfy the required qualifications, they should be considered for appointment and such candidates should be given preference in similarly situated cases to ensure their representation. Can.’
