Centre withdraws lateral entry advertisements on PM Modi's directions
The Centre on Tuesday directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to withdraw its recent advertisements for lateral entry positions. This move comes amid growing political controversy over the lateral entry process. The UPSC had issued a call for "talented and motivated Indian nationals" to apply for senior roles within the Union government, including positions such as Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary across 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts available.
Why does this story matter?
Lateral entry into the bureaucracy involves recruiting individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to occupy mid and senior-level roles in government departments. This process was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018. This marked a shift from the conventional practice where senior bureaucratic positions were typically filled by career civil servants.
Jitendra Singh's letter to UPSC head
Union Minister Jitendra Singh wrote to the head of the UPSC saying, "While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open." "The PM is of the firm belief that...lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation," it added.
BJP allies had raised concerns
Notably, this development follows Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party ally Chirag Paswan's concerns, expressed on Monday, about government appointments without reservations, as the political controversy over lateral entry intensified. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called the move an "attack" on Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis. In response, the Centre accused Congress of spreading misinformation about the largest round of lateral recruitment in the bureaucracy, insisting that it would not impact SC/ST recruitment in the all-India services.
BJP defends lateral entry
The BJP has defended the lateral entry process as a means to bring in specialized talent and expertise. The party pointed out that the concept was developed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that lateral entry into the bureaucracy has been a practice since the 1970s, even during Congress-led governments, with "former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia" being examples of the initiatives from the past.
