In a letter to UPSC Chairman Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (MoS) for the Department of Personnel and Training conveyed the Prime Minister’s stand that the lateral entry process must adhere to the principles of equity and social justice laid down in the Constitution of India, particularly with regard to reservation provisions.
The government stressed that the lateral entry mechanism needs to be reviewed and reformed to align with P.M Modi’s aim is to ensure social justice. “Canceling the ad would be a significant step forward in the quest for social justice and empowerment,” the letter states.
The Centre also stressed the importance of upholding the constitutional mandate for social justice by ensuring that deserving candidates from marginalised communities receive their due representation in government services. The letter noted that since lateral entry posts have been considered specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has traditionally been no provision for reserving seats in such appointments.
What is UPSC Lateral Entry?
For the past few days, the Centre and the Opposition have been attacking each other over the government’s push for lateral entry into bureaucracy, which is a practice that involves recruiting people from outside the traditional government service cadres to fill mid- and senior-level posts. On Saturday, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released an advertisement inviting applications for lateral recruitment for 45 senior posts, including those of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary in 24 ministries of the Union government. These posts are for key decision-makers and administrative heads within departments. Candidates with suitable qualifications and experience from state/Union territory governments, public enterprises, statutory organisations, research institutes, universities and the private sector are eligible to apply. Reservation in government jobs and universities is implemented through the 13-point list policy. However, a DoPT circular notes that there are no mandatory reservations for appointments on deputation, and the current process of filling posts through lateral entry is considered a close approximation to deputation.
“In a single job schedule, reservation does not apply. Since each post filled under this scheme [lateral entry] “It is a unique post, no reservation applies,” according to the files obtained from the DoPT.
Why is Oppn against side entry?
Opposition leaders argue that this lacks reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), while the government defends it as a means of attracting specialised talent and expertise.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised the lateral entry, accusing the Modi government of using it as a backdoor to recruit officers loyal to the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. The BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans,” Gandhi said on social media platform X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the lateral entry as part of a “well-planned conspiracy” to exclude marginalised communities from government jobs.
Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati also condemned the move, arguing that it deprives disadvantaged candidates of opportunities to advance within the government.
“A question to the honourable judges and the central government who are forcibly seeking a creamy layer in OBC/SC/ST: Where does the so-called creamy layer of these classes go when they are in these positions?” asked Chandrashekhar Aazad of Azad Samaj Party.
What is the BJP’s response?
The BJP has countered these criticisms by pointing out that the concept of lateral entry was developed during the Congress-led UPA government. Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s comment, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted: “The hypocrisy of INC is evident on the matter of lateral entry. It was the UPA government that developed the concept of lateral entry. The second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) was set up in 2005 under the UPA government. Shri Veerappa Moily chaired it.”
In all, 63 lateral entry appointments have been made in the last five years, according to Minister of State for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Training, Jitendra Singh. Currently, 57 lateral entry candidates are holding posts in various ministries and departments.
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