The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement on August 17, 2024, inviting applications from eligible candidates for recruitment to 45 posts of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries of the Central Government through lateral entry. People having experience of working in state and union territory governments, public sector companies (PSUs), research institutes and universities and even in the private sector who have the appropriate qualifications are eligible to apply under lateral entry. Divyang candidates can also apply for all the posts.
Opposition parties are strongly criticizing the central government for recruiting key posts in 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 Adivasis. BJP wants to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservation from Bahujans.’ BSP chief Mayawati said that if SC, ST and OBC do not get representation under their prescribed quota in these appointments, then it will 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 2005, the second Administrative Reforms Commission was constituted and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily was the chairman of the commission. In the report titled ‘Renovation of Personnel Administration – Scaling New Heights’, one of the major recommendations of the commission was to introduce lateral entry to higher government positions, which require special knowledge and skills.
The commission had emphasized on 5 points regarding lateral entry
Expertise Required: According to the commission, certain government roles require specific knowledge and skills, which are not always available in officers of the traditional civil service. To fill this gap, the commission recommended recruiting professionals from the private sector, academia 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 a short-term or contractual basis. The Commission had said in its recommendation that these professionals would bring new perspectives and expertise in sectors such as economy, finance, technology and public policy.
Transparent Selection Process: The Commission stressed on a transparent and merit-based selection process for officers to be appointed through lateral entry and suggested setting up a dedicated agency to oversee their recruitment and management.
Performance Management System: The Commission recommended developing a strong performance management system to make lateral entry recruits accountable for their work and regularly assess their contribution.
Integration with Civil Services: The Commission had emphasized the importance of integrating lateral entry appointees into the existing civil services in a manner that would sustain the civil service system while also utilizing the expertise and skills of professionals acquired through lateral entry.
When did lateral entry start in bureaucracy?
In its report presented on its three-year action agenda in 2017, NITI Aayog had recommended appointment through lateral entry at the middle and senior levels in the central government. It was said that the officers appointed through lateral entry would be part of the Central Secretariat. Appointments under lateral entry will be on a 3-year contract, which can be extended to a total of 5 years. Till that time, only career diplomats (civil service officers) were appointed in the Central Secretariat.
Applications were first invited for appointment under lateral entry 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 serves as the administrative head of a wing in the said department. The post of director comes 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 to be mid-level officers in a department. The joint secretary is the post where decisions are taken.
Central government’s logic behind lateral entry
Minister of State for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in 2019 that ‘the aim of lateral entry is to achieve the dual objectives of bringing fresh talent into the bureaucracy as well as ensuring availability of manpower.’ Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 2024, Jitendra Singh said, ‘Professionals will be appointed through lateral entry at the level of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in the Government of India keeping in view their expertise and skills in their field of work.’
The idea behind lateral entry is that the government wants to use the expertise and skills of individuals who have long experience in a particular field, whether they are career diplomats or not. In line with this idea, in the last few years officers from various central civil services have been given the opportunity to serve in the Central Secretariat, which was always considered IAS-dominated.
How many recruitments have been done through lateral entry so far?
The first round of recruitment under lateral entry began in 2018. Then the government received a total of 6,077 applications for the posts of Joint Secretary level. After completing the selection process by the UPSC, the 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, an advertisement for recruitment through lateral entry was issued by the UPSC. Jitendra Singh had told the Rajya Sabha on August 9 this year that, ‘In the last five years, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry. Currently, 57 professionals are working in various posts in central ministries/departments.’
Why is recruitment through lateral entry criticized?
Lateral entry is being criticized by Congress and other opposition parties on the ground that there is no quota for SC, ST and OBC candidates in such recruitments. Reacting to the recent advertisement of UPSC, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, ‘Lateral entry is part of a well-planned conspiracy and BJP is deliberately making 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 ‘bad joke’. He said that if these 45 appointments were made through the Civil Services Examination, then about half the posts would have been reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates.
Why is there no provision for reservation in lateral entry?
In a circular dated May 15, 2018, the DoPT had said that “there will be reservation for SC/ST/OBC candidates in appointments to Central Government posts and services lasting 45 days or more.” However, on November 29, 2018, when the first round of lateral entry was underway, Sujata Chaturvedi, additional secretary, DoPT, wrote a letter to UPSC secretary Rakesh Gupta, stating, “Applicants having experience of work in state governments, public sector, autonomous bodies, statutory bodies, universities are to be considered for lateral entry.
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 field of work. There are no instructions regarding the 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 fulfill the necessary qualifications, then their appointment should be considered and in cases of similar situation, such candidates may be given preference to ensure their representation.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)