Govt tells UPSC to withdraw Lateral Entry advertisement
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Govt withdraws lateral entry advertisement
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, August 20: The government has asked the Union Public Service Commission to withdraw the advertisement for lateral entry in the 45 higher positions in the bureaucracy.
Union Minister for DoPT Jitendra Singh wrote to the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement. Singh reasoned that the social justice and equity is cornerstone of the recruitment in the central government.
“It is important that the Constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that the deserving candidates from the marginalized communities get their rightful positions in the government services,” write Singh in a letter to the UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan.
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Singh also mentioned that the UPSC advertisement for lateral entry in a single cadre has no provision for reservation. Singh’s letter to the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement has come in the backdrop of the Opposition questioning the government for ignoring reservation in the lateral entry.
As per Rule 178 of the Central Services, the Centre had been hiring professionals through lateral entry at higher positions in the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre had launched the initiative of the Lateral Entry in 2018.
The ministries of the Central government also hire professionals through contracts outside the lateral entry scope. The Opposition has hit out at the government for diluting the reservation in the government employment by resorting to fill high-level positions through lateral entry.
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Singh in his letter to the UPSC chairperson took jibe at the Opposition. Singh said that the professionals were recruited in the UPA government in a non-transparent manner.
Singh cited the example of the recruitment of the higher-level positions at the UIDAI to buttress his charges against the UPA government. Former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani was made the CEO of the UIDAI by the UPA government.
Singh also raked up the position of the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Sonia Gandhi during the UPA tenure. Singh in his letter to the UPSC said that the aspect of the social justice needs to be looked into the idea of lateral entry. He suggested that the lateral entry be reformed as per the “idea of social justice of the prime minister”.
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