Most officials — serving and retired — South First spoke to, felt the lateral entry move was ill-conceived.
Published Aug 22, 2024 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2024 | 2:01 PM
UPSC. (Representational/ iStock)
While lateral entry is not a new concept, it has its pros and cons, serving and retired officers said.
On 17 August, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement seeking applications for “talented and motivated Indian nationals for Lateral Recruitment” to the posts of joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary in 24 ministries of the Union Government.
However, after the Opposition and a few constituents of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) opposed the move, the government asked the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement.
Alok Kumar (IPS), ADGP Training, Traffic & Road Safety, Karnataka said lateral entry to the police service existed some 10-15 years ago but was stopped. The idea was to have fresh minds and thinking in the government.
“Lateral entry is a welcome idea where some new elements who have expertise in their respective fields join the mainstream but it should be done by keeping modalities of our recruitment procedures in mind. It should be introduced properly,” he told South First.
Dr B Gopi, IAS, Director of Agriculture, Telangana wondered if an outsider could fit into the system. “Lateral entry has pros and cons. The fact that it has been rolled back might indicate that it wasn’t functioning at its best. Appointing Anand Mahindra as the chairman of Telangana’s Skill University is also a form of lateral entry,” he said.
“But there is always the question of whether one is meritorious enough to take office. A public servant must fit into an office to ensure efficiency. Can this be the case when somebody becomes a joint secretary without experience,” he wondered.
K Ratna Prabha, retired IAS officer and former chief secretary of Karnataka said that, “Any government job needs to follow the guidelines laid down under the Constitution. It needs to be advertised and opened to everybody. It cannot be only for a particular group. Just like the UPSC follows a selection process, there should be a selection process for the lateral entry as well.” She also added that democratic norms must be followed in this process as well.
K Jayakumar, former chief secretary of Kerala, welcomed the rollback. “Earlier, the Government of India used to conduct lateral entries. But they are persons who are domain experts. They may be experts in various fields. But to go for lateral entry in administration may affect the morale of civil service. A system is there. The civil service used to follow an administrative style. By including those from private sectors who have a profit-oriented mentality may disrupt that system. It will also lessen accountability. My take is that the lateral entry scheme is not at all healthy and the decision to roll back it is welcome.”
BH Anil Kumar, who retired from civil service as an additional chief secretary to the government, and was formerly a BBMP commissioner, said the government took back the notification on the ground that social justice will not be met by way of lateral entry because there will be no quotas.
“Lateral entry is no doubt a good option to bring in talent which is not available in the government. But how do we bring in social justice along with lateral entry is the issue. The Government of India will address this and come out with a new notification,” he added.
Sheela Thomas, retired IAS officer and Chairperson & Managing Director of Kerala Rubber Limited (KRL), said, “Lateral entries are not new, there were lateral entries in the past as well. However, I am unsure about the new motive behind this move and believe that further in-depth analysis is needed for more comprehensive responses.”
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
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