New Delhi: It was 2005, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had come to power only a few months after defeating the India Shining of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. At that time, for the first time, a plan was brought to appoint people from the private sector to top positions in the bureaucracy through lateral entry. This scheme was brought by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily at that time. Then this proposal was strongly supported by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission. Actually, lateral entry is in the news because recently the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued a notification for the recruitment of 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry. The Narendra Modi government is on the target of the opposition regarding this. The opposition says that lateral entry has weakened the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs and STs.

Morarji Desai gave this idea for the first time

The first Administrative Reforms Commission in the country was formed in 1966. Then Morarji Desai was made its chairman. Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister between March 1977 and July 1979. Then Morarji Desai had emphasized the need for special skills within the civil services. However, there was no talk of lateral entry then. Initially, the post of Chief Economic Advisor started being filled through lateral entry.
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Narendra Modi government made lateral entry of many officers from outside

The lateral entry scheme was formally launched during the tenure of Narendra Modi. In 2018, the government invited applications from experts for senior posts like joint secretaries and directors. This was the first time that professionals from both private and public sectors were given a chance in it. Later 37 people were recruited under it. 7 people were recruited in 2019 and 30 in 2021. Officers coming from lateral entry have to sign a contract of 3 years, which can be extended by 2 more years depending on their performance.

What is lateral entry, who can become an officer

Lateral entry refers to the direct recruitment of experts from the private sector. Through this, posts of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries are recruited in the ministries of the central government. Individuals with a minimum of 15 years of experience working at an equivalent level in private sector businesses, except those working in central public sector undertakings, autonomous agencies, academic bodies and universities, can join the bureaucracy. Such people should be at least 45 years of age and should have a minimum qualification of graduation from a recognized university or institute.

These arguments are given in favor of lateral entry

According to Dr. Devnath Pathak, Assistant Professor at South Asian University, lateral entry was also supported by the Sixth Pay Commission and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), Surinder Nath Committee (2003) and Hota Committee (2004). Actually, the concern about this is that such a work culture is being developed in which it may be difficult for government bureaucrats to work. At the same time, some bureaucrats may become careless due to having a secure career. In such a situation, if they compete with talent coming from outside, then their working capacity will improve and laziness will be removed. Apart from this, the need for experts in administration is also stated. People coming from outside may have the necessary expertise in the related subject.
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Does lateral entry already exist in the country

Dr. Devnath Pathak says that lateral entry is not a new thing in India. India has taken advantage of this earlier also. The appointment of the Chief Economic Advisor has been done through lateral entry only. Big personalities like former economic advisor Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Aadhar founder Nandan Nilekani joined the administration through this. This arrangement has been made on an ad hoc basis. It is not institutional.

Such a system also exists in Britain, America and Australia

According to Dr. Devnath Pathak, it is not that the system of lateral entry is only in India. Western countries like Britain, America, Australia, Netherlands and Belgium have already opened specific government posts for qualified personnel from all fields. This has been found to be a better way to attract the best talent for the job.

Why was the lateral entry system introduced

In view of the shortage of officers in the country’s bureaucracy, it was said that lateral entry would solve the problem of shortage of officers at higher levels. In 2023, Dr. Jitendra Singh said in Rajya Sabha that on the basis of the recommendations of the Baswan Committee, the posts of IAS were increased to 180 annually in 2012. At the same time, the vacancy of IPS was increased to 200 from 2020. The committee had also said in its recommendation that no more posts should be increased in a year. Three important reasons have been given behind this.

Due to high number of vacancies, there may be compromise in quality
IAS Training Academy LBSNAA does not have more capacity than this.
The career pyramid of IAS officers may deteriorate.

These are the arguments given against lateral entry

Many people are of the opinion that lateral entry can demotivate government officials, which can affect their performance. Due to the difference in work culture and institutional inertia, the best performance of government officials will be affected. They may face difficulty in adjusting. On the other hand, people coming from outside may not understand the system completely. Apart from this, officers made through lateral entry will not have as much experience as IAS officers. They may lack knowledge of practical aspects and may have more urban mentality. This will affect policy making at the higher level.

The biggest fear is that government-supporting bureaucrats will be prepared

The biggest fear of lateral entry is that it will lead to the appointment of government-supported candidates, which the government can take advantage of in some unfair way. Apart from this, there is also a concern that such officers can make policies favorable to business houses or pressure can be exerted on them.

Is lateral entry a violation of the Constitution?

According to Dr. Devnath Pathak, the advantage of the new civil service is that the policy makers have a long-term interest in the government. They also have a history of justice and participation in government. It is argued that reservation policy cannot be taken into account in lateral entry, which would be a violation of the Constitution. However, this is not so true, because lateral entry is not a permanent post and secondly it is only for a short period. It is said that officers in the hired category are hired on a contract of 3 to 5 years. During this time they can serve someone else’s interests because they do not have a long-term interest in the government. Moreover, bringing a private person from the corporate world into government service can create a conflict of interest. Such people hardly think about the welfare and well-being of the public, because they come from a field where only the profit and loss of the company is thought about.

what is lateral entry loot system

There have been apprehensions that lateral entry is a breach in the Central Civil Services Authority setup. It is feared that this could become an excuse for the recruitment of politically connected persons through the ‘loot-system’ i.e. backdoor entry. In this regard, the Administrative Reforms Committee had pointed out the need for the formation of a Central Civil Services Authority. Which is an autonomous body and works as an independent authority to monitor the proposed recruitment process.

So along with lateral entry there should be lateral exit

Many experts believe that along with lateral entry, lateral exit should also be implemented. That is, civil servants should be encouraged to work in different fields for a short period of time to broaden their skills, improve their morale and productivity.

Rahul accuses Modi of robbing the rights of the youth

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that recruitment through ‘lateral entry’ is an ‘anti-national step’. The Congress leader alleged that such action is openly snatching away the reservation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through RSS instead of UPSC. Rahul said- I have always said that the deprived are not represented in all the top posts of the country including top bureaucrats. Instead of improving it, they are being further distanced from top posts through ‘lateral entry’. This is a robbery of the rights of talented youth preparing for UPSC and an attack on the concept of social justice including reservation for the deprived.

Modi’s minister said, this is Congress’ hypocrisy

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has shared a post on X platform regarding Rahul Gandhi’s allegations on lateral entry. The Railway Minister wrote that the hypocrisy of Congress is clearly visible in the ‘lateral entry’ case. It was the UPA government that brought ‘lateral entry’ in 2005.

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