New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the Centre’s move to appoint 45 joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries in various departments, the former on Sunday issued a clarification saying that it was first proposed at the time of the UPA Government. The Opposition has slammed the move saying it would affect the reservation of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Caste (OBC) categories.
‘Lateral Entry concept was first introduced under UPA’
“The concept of lateral entry was first introduced under the Congress-led UPA government and was strongly endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), established in 2005 and chaired by Veerappa Moily,” the government sources said on Sunday, issuing a note.
Pointing out that the ARC had identified some government roles that needed specialized knowledge which was not always available within the traditional civil services, “ The ARC proposed the creation of a talent pool of professionals who could be inducted into the government on a short-term or contractual basis, bringing fresh perspectives and cutting-edge expertise in areas such as economics, finance, technology, and public policy.”
“The Commission emphasized the importance of a transparent and merit-based selection process for lateral entrants, suggesting the establishment of a dedicated agency to oversee their recruitment and management,” sources added further.
As per the government sources lateral entry scheme was formally introduced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. The decision was taken to recognise the need for domain experts in order to “enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of India’s administrative machinery.”
“In 2018, the government took a significant step by announcing vacancies for senior positions such as Joint Secretaries and Directors, marking the first time that professionals from both the private and public sectors were invited to apply for these high-level roles. The selection process was rigorous, emphasizing candidates’ qualifications, experience, and suitability for these strategic positions,” the note added.
Rahul Gandhi criticises move
Earlier in the day, taking to X, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said, “ Reservation of SC, ST and OBC categories is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on important posts in various ministries of the central government. I have always said that the underprivileged are not represented in all the top positions in the country, including the top bureaucracy. Instead of improving this, they are being pushed further away from top positions through lateral entry.
However, BJP soon hit back, asking him to stop “lying”. Taking to X, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya wrote, “By eliminating that ad-hocism, the government of India has now ensured that lateral entries are made on the basis of established guidelines so that there is no impact on the quota and reservation system.”