Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo: PTI)
Following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday afternoon, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled its advertisement for lateral entry recruitment into the bureaucracy.
In a letter to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan, Minister of State (MoS) in the PMO Jitendra Singh said the proposal for recruitment of specialists needs to be “reviewed and reformed” as it does not provide for reservations and is inconsistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on ensuring social justice.
“For the Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, which aims to address historical injustices and promote inclusion,” he said. Sources said the government would review the lateral entry recruitment drive to consider whether reservation provisions could be applied to appoint specialists, which would be done after consultation with all stakeholders.
The PMO intervened in the matter following criticism of the recruitment drive by opposition bloc INDIA and also key allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, such as the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The UPSC had on Saturday (August 17) notified the recruitment of 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry, which is known as appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments.
In a notice issued on Tuesday evening, the UPSC said the “advertisement regarding lateral recruitment for 45 posts” in different departments “is hereby cancelled as requested by the requesting authority.”
In Patna, Union Minister Chirag Paswan hailed the decision and thanked the Prime Minister. He said the Centre’s decision reaffirmed the NDA government’s “commitment to the caste-based castes, caste-based tribes and caste-based castes”.
The Congress, which had accused the government of trying to “snatch” reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes (OBCs) and economically weaker sections (EWS) through lateral entry, said the cancellation of recruitment by the Centre was due to the campaign carried out by party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA block parties.
“Whether it is the long-term capital gains/indexation attack on the middle class in the Budget, or the referral of the Waqf Bill to the JPC (joint parliamentary committee), or putting the Broadcasting Bill on the back burner, the power of the people and the Opposition is saving the country from the Modi government,” Kharge said.
In his letter to the UPSC chairman, state minister Singh said, “Since these posts have been treated as specialised and designated as single cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments.” The minister said, “This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice.”
“I, therefore, urge the UPSC to cancel the lateral entry recruitment advertisement issued on August 17,” he said. The move (cancellation of the process) would be a significant step forward in the quest for empowerment for social justice, Singh added.
The minister, however, pointed out that the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), constituted in 2005 and chaired by M. Veerappa Moily, had endorsed the principle of lateral entry. The recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 was also in the same direction, he said. “However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entries,” Singh said.
Referring to the Congress-led UPA’s tenure, Singh said previous governments had allowed laterals to enter “important” posts, such as secretary-level positions in ministries and the leadership of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), “without following any reservation process”.
In another reference to the UPA-I government’s tenure, Singh said, “Moreover, it is well known that members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super bureaucracy that controlled the PMO.”
In his letter, Singh suggested that unlike its predecessor, the NDA government has tried to make the process of recruiting lateral candidates transparent. “While most of the top lateral candidates before 2014 were done on an ad hoc basis, including cases of alleged favouritism, our government’s efforts have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” he said.
The minister said the Prime Minister “has a strong belief that the lateral entry process must be in consonance with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly with regard to reservation provisions.” It is important that the constitutional mandate on social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalised communities get their due representation in government services, he said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh tagged Singh’s letter and pointed out on X that the PMO’s letter to a constitutional authority (UPSC) is undated. “What a pathetic government this is,” he said. In another post, Ramesh tagged Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s posts on X on Sunday and Tuesday and said, “The difference between real life and fiction.” There is no limit to hypocrisy, Ramesh said.
In her Sunday message, Vaishnaw had said that the Congress’s criticism of the lateral entry system in the top bureaucracy shows its “hypocrisy” as the Second ARC under Moily had recommended it. After the government’s decision to withdraw the lateral entry announcement, Vaishnaw posted on X on Tuesday: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji has always been a firm believer in social justice. His programmes have promoted the welfare of the weaker sections of our society.”
First published: August 20, 2024 | 20:01 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.