The government asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel the advertisement for 45 lateral inductions for the posts of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary, in what appeared to be a quick response to allegations from the Congress and others in the opposition that the Center had made lateral appointments to evade the caste quota requirement.
BJP ally, Union food processing minister Chirag Paswan of LJP also opposed the decision.
“Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reaffirmed his commitment to Babasaheb’s Constitution and has taken a major decision to implement the principle of reservation in lateral recruitment by UPSC… (This) clearly shows the PM’s commitment to take advantage and do justice to the weaker sections of the society. ,” I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told DD News.
Earlier on Tuesday, in a letter to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan, personnel minister Jitendra Singh asked her to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry positions as per instructions from the PM, and referred to Modi’s decision to implement quota for lateral entry.
Government: Will review lateral entry policy to ensure social justice
Personnel Minister Jitendra Singh also mentioned that reservation in employment is a cornerstone of the government’s social justice framework, which aims to address historical injustice and promote inclusiveness. “It is important that the constitutional mandate for social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get legitimate representation in government services,” Singh said in a letter to UPSC leaders.
The opposition celebrated the decision as a “victory” and insisted it forced the government to backtrack on the move. government, for its part, said lateral induction, without provision for caste quotas, since the Congress government.
Singh said the policy for lateral induction, where quotas do not apply as positions are considered “specialist” “single cadre” will be reviewed and changed in the context of the PM “focusing on ensuring social justice”. In the current norm, the quota system is not applicable if there are less than three recruitments.
Officials said the government will “conduct an exercise” to see how the reservation norms can be applied in lateral entry. “The government has followed a fair and transparent process in the last three batches of lateral entry. Now as it has been made clear that there should be reservations in these recruitments and also there is sentiment, the government will look into this. We are open to suggestions,” said a senior official.
Sources said that of the 57 officers currently recruited through lateral entry, four are SCs and eight are OBCs. A senior official said that the current reservation norms in direct recruitment – 15.7% for SC, 7% for ST, 27% for OBC and 10% for economically weaker section (EWS) – can be applied only when all posts for each category are clubbed . and is not taken as a single-frame post.
In the letter, Singh mentioned how lateral entry was approved by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Congressman Veerappa Moily and the recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were in the same direction.
The minister said there have been many incidents of high-profile appointments, including secretaries without following the reservation process.
Taking on the previous Congress-led UPA government, the letter said, “…it is known that the infamous members of the National Advisory Council are being used to run the super-bureaucracy that controls the PMO.”
Hitting the Congress for its double standards, I&B minister Ashwini asked, “Manmohan Singh ji, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and earlier Vijay Kelkar ji became finance secretary through lateral entry. Did the Congress take care of the principle of reservation at that time?”
