The announcement drew criticism from opposition parties, who claimed that it undermined the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs and STs. However, the BJP hit back at the Congress, pointing out that “hypocrisy was evident in the lateral entry issue” as the concept was first developed during the UPA government.
How it started
It all started on August 17th when the Public Service Commission of the Union issued the notification for “talented and motivated Indian citizens for lateral recruitment” for respective posts in various ministries under the Union government.
Applicants for these posts are eligible to apply for positions from State or Union Territory Governments, statutory organisations, research institutes and universities with appropriate qualifications and experience.
It mentions that the positions are “suitable for candidates belonging to the category of Persons with Reference Disabilities (PcBD)”.
Side entrance
The NITI Aayog in its three-year Action Agenda in 2017 and the Sector Group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in a report submitted in February had recommended inducting staff at the middle and senior management levels in various departments under the central government, The Indian Express reported.
The lateral entrants will be part of the central secretariat, which earlier consisted only of career bureaucrats from the All India Services/Central Civil Services. These candidates will be provided with three-year contracts, which can be extended up to five years.
The lateral entry scheme was formally introduced during Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s tenure in 2018, driven by the recognition of the need for subject matter experts to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of India’s administrative machinery. However, at that time it was only meant for joint secretary level posts and other senior level posts (director and deputy secretary) were opened up later, according to reports.
Why was it introduced?
Minister of State for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Jitendra Singh, told Parliament in 2019 that lateral recruitment was aimed at “achieving the twin objectives of attracting fresh talent and increasing manpower availability.”
Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, Singh said, “Considering their specialised knowledge and experience in the domain area, lateral recruitment has been undertaken at the level of Joint Secretary, Director and Under Secretary in the Government of India, to appoint persons for specific assignments.”
The first ARC, established in 1966 under the chairmanship of Morarji Desai (later succeeded by K. Hanumanthaiah), laid the foundation for future debates on the need for specialist skills in the civil services.
The idea behind this recruitment is said to be the government’s motive to take advantage of the expertise of individuals in their field, regardless of whether they are career bureaucrats or not.
Total appointments so far
During the first round which started in 2018, a total of 6,077 applications were received for the Deputy Secretary level positions. Following the selection process, nine individuals were finally recommended for appointment in 2019.
Similar rounds were also announced in 2021 and 2023.
On August 9, Jitendra Singh said that 63 appointments through lateral entry had been made during the last five years. “Currently, 57 officers are holding posts in ministries and departments,” he said.
The opposition criticizes the measure
Major opposition parties have criticised the recruitment process, saying it does not set quotas for SC, ST and OBC candidates.
“Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. The BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans,” Rahul Gandhi wrote in X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called it “part of a well-planned conspiracy”. He has alleged that the BJP is deliberately carrying out such recruitments so that “SC, ST and OBC categories can be kept away from reservation”.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called the move a “dirty joke”, saying that if these 45 appointments had been made through the civil services examination, then about half of the vacancies would have been reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates.
BJP hits back
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw slammed the opposition and said the concept of lateral entry was developed during the UPA government.
“The hypocrisy of the INC is evident in the matter of lateral entry. It was the UPA government that developed the concept of lateral entry. The second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) was set up in 2005 under the UPA government. Shri Veerappa Moily chaired it,” he wrote in X.
He added, “During the UPA period, the ARC recommended recruitment of experts to fill vacancies in posts requiring specialised knowledge. The NDA government has created a transparent method to implement this recommendation. The recruitment will be done through Public Service Commission of the Union transparent and fair. This reform will improve governance.”
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