Modi govt’s U-turn on lateral entry into bureaucracy. What is the policy, and why did it trigger political backlash?

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government has asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy, making a U-turn on the issue amid criticism from the Opposition and a few Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

PM Modi believes that the move should be ‘aligned with social justice’, Union Minister Jitender Singh wrote in a letter to the UPSC chief, according to a report by NDTV.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan, whose Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is a BJP ally, welcomed the decision to scrap the advertisement. Paswan thanked the PM saying that the move shows the government listens to public concerns. Paswan was one of the BJP allies to oppose the move. The other ally unhappy with the decision was Janata Dal-United.

The Advertisement

The UPSC, on August 18, advertised 45 posts to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis.

The August 18 advertisement was to recruit officials for multiple roles in certain central ministries through lateral entry, either on a contract basis or through deputation. The recruitment was to be done across 24 ministries, including 10 joint secretary and 35 director/deputy secretary posts. These posts need to be filled by September 17.

The Protests

The advertisement triggered protests from the Opposition, with many leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, slamming the government’s policy for not having reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates.

The basic premise behind the opposition to lateral entry has been on the grounds that there are no quotas for SC, ST and OBC candidates in such recruitment. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the lateral entries were a “part of a well-planned conspiracy” and that “the BJP was deliberately making such recruitments in jobs so that SC, ST, OBC categories can be kept away from reservation”.

The two NDA allies - Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party - also opposed the move forcing the government to recall its decision.

What is ‘lateral entry’ into bureaucracy?

Officials are recruited from outside the usual bureaucratic setup for certain posts in government departments through lateral entry. This may include recruitments for mid- or senior-level positions in services such as the Indian Administrative Service.

This is different from the usual practice of filling these posts in civil services through examinations conducted by the UPSC.

The NITI Aayog had in 2017 recommended the induction of officials at middle and senior management levels in the central government as ‘lateral entrants.’ These positions would be part of the central secretariat which, till then, had only career bureaucrats from the All India Services/ Central Civil Services. The idea was to hire these officials on contracts of three years, extendable to a total term of five years, according to an Indian Express report.

The ’lateral entry’ into certain posts in the Union government came into being in 2018 under the first Modi government. Some reports suggest that the idea was mooted by the then Congress-led UPA government, and recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission in 2005 under the chairmanship of former Union Law Minister and Congress leader M Veerappa Moily.

Why Lateral Entry?

The recruitment through lateral entry is aimed at the inclusion of domain experts from outside the civil services in policy-making.

Though private sector employees are often tapped for advisory roles, the ‘lateral entry’ model sees their entry into the administrative service hierarchy, according to a report in the Hindu.

An example of such a role is that of the Chief Economic Advisor of India, usually a prominent economist who must meet the prescribed upper age limit of 45, according to the Hindu report.

Recruitments so far

Similar notifications have been issued by the UPSC since 2018.

In the first round in 2018, as many as 6,077 applications for joint secretary-level posts were advertised. After a selection process by the UPSC, nine individuals were recommended for appointment to nine different ministries/departments in 2019. The next round was advertised in 2021 followed by two more rounds in May 2023.

Recently, MoS Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha that as many as 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry in the last five years.

The minister had said earlier that the “lateral recruitment is aimed at achieving the twin objectives of bringing in fresh talent as well as augment the availability of manpower”. Presently, 57 officers recruited as lateral entrants are posted in positions in central government ministries and departments.

Earlier Objections

The scheme has elicited objections before as well. In 2019, for example, Dalit and other civil servants opposed the scheme saying that the candidates recruited through this process were not subject to reservation requirements.

As per the DoPT rules, government appointments could be exempt from the reservation policy only if they are temporary roles and for a period of less than 45 days.

The ‘lateral entry’ route, however, is deemed a private contract between the individual and the government, and thus doesn’t fall under the recruitment policy in government services.