Lateral Entry

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said that the lateral entry has not been suspended and consultation was going on with all stakeholders. The lateral entry is referred to as the appointment of specialists, including those from the private sector, in the government departments. "There is no such order suspending the process," Singh told a press conference, when asked about the status of lateral entry. The minister was addressing the presser on the "12 Years' Achievements of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions". The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had in August 2024 cancelled its advertisement to fill key posts in government departments through lateral entry, amid a political row over the lack of a reservation provision for those positions. Singh, the minister of state for personnel, said that the consultation was going on "not with the stakeholder ministries alone, in fact with everybody" (concerned). Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT

In June, Singh had said the Centre had not abandoned the lateral entry route in the civil services, and said the Centre remains open to lateral entries

Union Minister Jitendra Singh clarified that the government remains open to lateral entry recruitment via UPSC, denying its suspension. He also highlighted reforms and grievance redressal efforts

As many as 63 specialists have been appointed in different Central government departments through the lateral entry mode from 2019 to 2023, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. Of these, 35 were appointed on contract basis and the remaining 28 on deputation, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, said in a written reply in the Upper House. "Lateral recruitment at the levels of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area," Singh said. Giving details, Singh said eight joint secretaries were appointed in 2019, including five on contractual basis and three through deputation from other government departments/organisations. Thitry recruitments were made in 2021 at the levels of joint secretary (3), director (18) and deputy secretary (9). Of these, 14 were on contract and 16 were through deputation, the minister .

Mehra said that the bureaucracy is not going to voluntarily do anything that diminishes its influence

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Navigating government corridors as a lateral entrant to the position of CEO of the Punjab CSR Authority, I quickly learned that fresh ideas often wither without the right groundwork

Mothballing the lateral-entry scheme and launching the modified pension plan show how governance style can make a difference

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Solutions by specialists in one domain backfire in others. Designers of governance reforms should go back to the drawing board and rethink the lateral-entry scheme

The govt's biggest lateral hiring initiative came undone in three days, but the issue remains alive

Larger proportion of government posts meant for general category goes unfulfilled

With the Centre withdrawing the latest advertisement for lateral entry in bureaucracy, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Congress will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs and foil "conspiracies" of the BJP. His remarks came after Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Preeti Sudan and asked her to cancel the advertisement so that marginalised communities get their rightful representation in government services. "We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil the BJP's conspiracies like that of 'lateral entry' at any cost," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. "I am saying it again - by removing the 50 per cent reservation cap, we will ensure social justice based on caste census," the former Congress chief said. On August 17, the UPSC issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors, and

N K Singh, echoing similar sentiment said that the necessity of a permanent civil service needs to be put on the drawing board while ensuring that stability is not jeopardised

PMO intervened after criticism from opposition INDIA bloc and also key allies of NDA, such as the JDU and LJP (Ram Vilas)

In a letter to the UPSC, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly believes that the lateral entry process should uphold the principles of equity and social justice

The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Centre's move to withdraw the latest advertisement for lateral entry in bureaucracy was due to the criticism by the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge -- along with others. The remarks came after Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Preeti Sudan and asked her to cancel the advertisement so that marginalised communities get their rightful representation in government services. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh tagged Singh's letter and said on X, "A letter from a Union Minister working under a non-biological PM to a Constitutional authority without a date. What pathetic governance this is." "Even so, this is clearly the impact of the criticism of the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and others," he said in another post. Reacting to the ...

Lateral entry into bureaucracy is a direct assault on social justice and it deprived opportunities deserved for meritorious and minority officers from the reserved categories, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Tuesday. He called upon the Central government to halt this practice, and instead prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs, SC/STs, and ensure fair and equitable promotions. "We demand the complete abolition of the creamy layer, a concept we have always opposed," the chief minister said in a post on 'X'. In order to uphold social justice, safeguard reservation and ensure its rightful implementation, the following steps must be taken immediately, he said. "#LateralEntry is a direct assault on #SocialJustice, depriving the meritorious SC, ST, OBC and minority officers of their deserved opportunities at the top," Stalin said in the post. "The Union Govt must halt this practice, prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs & SC/STs, and ensure fair and ...

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But the government would do well to maintain the overall representation of reserved categories at different levels of bureaucracy as mandated by relevant rules