No order to suspend lateral entry, consultations underway: Jitendra Singh

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) Secretary Rachna Shah said that lateral entry was done in three cycles and 63 officers were appointed in different departments.

"Two-thirds (of them) are still in the government and contributing (as specialists)," she said during the conference.

Shah said that lateral entry was an important initiative that was taken by the government and regular consultation was happening on it.

Of the 63 specialists appointed through the lateral entry mode from 2019 to 2023, 35 were on a contract basis and the remaining 28 on deputation.