Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced on Tuesday that the advertisement for lateral entry positions, issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), has been cancelled following directives from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The UPSC had recently advertised 45 positions—10 for joint secretaries and 35 for directors/deputy secretaries—to be filled through lateral entry on a contractual basis. This initiative aims to recruit specialists, including those from the private sector, into government roles.
‘While most lateral entries prior to 2014 were made on an ad-hoc basis, often leading to accusations of favoritism, our government has strived to ensure the process is institutionally driven, transparent, and open,’ the letter stated.
The letter further emphasized that the Prime Minister believes the lateral entry process must adhere to the principles of equity and social justice outlined in the Constitution, especially regarding reservation provisions.
This decision follows concerns raised by BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan, who, on Monday, expressed worries about appointments to government positions being made without reservation. The controversy over lateral entry escalated with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the move of being an ‘attack’ on Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis.
In response, the Centre accused the Congress of spreading misinformation about the largest lateral recruitment in the bureaucracy, asserting that the initiative would not affect SC/ST recruitment in the all-India services.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pointed out that lateral entry has been in practice since the 1970s during Congress-led governments, citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia as prominent examples of past initiatives.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal criticized Rahul Gandhi’s claims that the government was bypassing the reservation system, reminding him that Manmohan Singh was appointed finance secretary in 1976 through lateral entry. ‘You initiated lateral entry; Prime Minister Modi has made it methodical,’ he told PTI.
Lateral entry in bureaucracy refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), for mid and senior-level positions in government departments.”
