New Delhi:
In a surprise reversal, the government today asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to remove its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy. This came after strong opposition criticism and pressure from ally Chirag Paswan, who had also voiced qualms about the proposal. Union Minister Jitender Singh wrote a letter to the UPSC chief expressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opinion that the “move should be aligned with social justice”.
The UPSC published a job posting last week, looking for “talented and motivated Indian nationals” to fill a number of top jobs in the Union government through lateral hiring. There were 45 postings available, including Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries.
Our government has worked to make the process institutionally driven, transparent, and open, even though the majority of significant lateral entry before to 2014 were made on an as-needed basis and included incidents of suspected favoritism,” the minister’s letter stated. “The Prime Minister firmly believes that the lateral entry procedure has to be in line with the social justice and equality ideals that are ingrained in our Constitution, especially with regard to the reservation rules.
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But the BJP’s Bihar ally, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, repeated the criticism.
Any government appointment must contain reservation clauses. This doesn’t have any ifs or buts. There are no reservations in the private sector, and if they aren’t applied to jobs in the government either… The information was brought to my attention on Sunday, and I find it concerning,” Mr. Paswan was cited by the Press Trust of India news agency.
Today, Mr. Paswan hailed the move’s withdrawal, saying it demonstrated the government’s consideration for the public’s worries.
I have brought up the lateral entry issue in front of relevant authorities at several locations since I first became aware of it. I brought to the Prime Minister’s attention the concerns raised by SC/ST and backward people on this matter. I have been in communication with the PM and his staff for the last two days. I sent pertinent documentation to his office, and we had in-depth conversations. Reservation policies should be adhered to by the government in all forms of appointments, Mr. Paswan stated. “I’m glad that my Prime Minister, Modi, recognized the issues that backward and SC/ST people faced. PM Modi, my party and I are grateful.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the lateral entry procedure was formally launched, with the first round of openings announced in 2018. This was a change from the previous system in which career public servants occupied nearly all high bureaucratic jobs.
Government sources claim that the concept was originally put forth in the middle of the 2000s, during the UPA administration headed by Congress. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), headed by Veerappa Moily, was founded by the UPA in 2005. The Commission’s assignment was to make recommendations for changes to the Indian administrative framework.
Today, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) received a request from the Center.
While the Moily panel first approved the idea of lateral entry and the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations in 2013 also backed it, Jitendra Singh noted in his letter that the concept’s implementation has historically lacked openness and justice.
In order to rectify historical injustices and promote diversity, PM Modi views reservation in public employment as a cornerstone of our social justice system, as stated in Mr. Singh’s letter. “It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalised communities get their rightful representation in the government services,” he stated.
Mr. Singh referenced a number of well-known instances in which lateral hires were appointed to important roles without adhering to the correct reservation procedures. These included the secretary-level posts in several ministries during previous administrations and the leadership of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
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There hasn’t been a reservation clause in these appointments because these roles are regarded as specialized and are single-cadre postings. This needs to be reconsidered and revised in light of the prime minister’s emphasis on guaranteeing social justice. I thus implore the UPSC to withdraw the lateral entry recruitment ad. The letter stated that “this step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment.”
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw retorted that lateral hiring was suggested by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), which was led by Congressman Veerappa Moily, to cover vacancies in positions needing specialized expertise.
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