Recently, the UPSC has issued an advertisement calling for “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for additional recruitment for various senior positions in the Union government. (Getty)
Lateral entry into bureaucracy refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadre, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill middle and senior level positions in government departments.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chief to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive, which has sparked a political battle.
In the letter, Singh called for the need for lateral entry to align with the principles of equality and social justice contained in the Constitution, especially with regard to the provision of reservations.
“While most of the major lateral entries prior to 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including favoritism cases, our government’s efforts to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” the letter read. “The Prime Minister is convinced that the lateral entry process must be in line with the principles of equality and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, especially with regard to reservation provisions.”
Lateral entry into bureaucracy refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadre, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill middle and senior level positions in government departments.
Recently, the UPSC has issued an advertisement calling for “talented and motivated Indians” for additional recruitment for various senior positions in the Union government. The positions include Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 positions up for grabs.
However, the government was heavily criticized for the move, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning why SCs, STs and OBCs were not given reservations.
JUBILANT OPPN
Commenting on the government’s U-turn, the Congress said it backed down because of the campaign of party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc party, and said it showed that only the power of the Constitution could defeat the “arrogance of a dictatorial regime”.
Kharge said: “Long live the Constitution! The Congress Party’s struggle for social justice for Dalits, tribals, backward and weaker sections has failed the BJP’s plan to grab reservations.”
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said: “We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will eliminate BJP conspiracies like ‘lateral entry’ at any cost. I say again – by removing the 50% reservation cap, we will ensure social justice based on caste census.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the rollback was proof that BJP’s conspiracy was no longer successful. The party also decided to call off the October 2 agitation on the issue, calling the rollback a “big victory”.
In UPSC, the lateral entry of the back door of the reservation has been denied, and the appointments have bowed before the unity of Sajdaq. Sarkar ko ab apna yeh faisla bhi bhagat laina hai. BJP рдХреЗ рд╕реНрджреНрдЮрд╛рдиреНрддреНрд░ рдЕрдм рдореЗрдВ рдореЗрдВ рдореЗрдВ рд╣реИ рдкрд╛ рд░рд╣реЗ рд╣реИ, or PDA рдореЗрдВ рдЕрдЧрд╛рд░реНрдг рдЕрдЧрд░ рдЪреЗрдЯрдирд╛ рдХреА рднреВрдЯ рдмрджреА рдЬреАрдЯ рд╣реИ.
тАФ Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 20, 2024
GOVT REACTS
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while reacting to the opposition’s opposition, said the decision to withdraw showed PM Modi’s commitment to social justice. “PM @narendramodi Ji has always believed in social justice. His programs have improved the welfare of the weakest sections of our society. The decision to align lateral entry with the principle of reservation shows PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s commitment to social justice,” he said in X.
His colleague Arjun Ram Meghwal said the lateral entry was before the unregulated setup. “On the issue of reservation, PM Modi stood firm with the poor of the country. We applaud his decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, government sources told News18 that the prime minister immediately intervened in the issue as he wanted to revise the shortcomings of the no-reservation scheme. The PM’s effort is to ensure social justice not only by making lateral entry an institutional process, but also by making reservation, he added.
Sources say that the government has replaced the ad hoc and opaque system implemented under the regime of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to bring institutionalized lateral entry in 2018. any transparency, and they are done according to the whims and fancies of some leaders chosen close to the family or from family. This government is changing this,” a government source said.
