UPSC | What is lateral entry? Who applies for it, what does it entail?
Lateral entry allows govt to incorporate outside talent into bureaucracy, typically in advisory roles but occasionally even in key administrative assignments
By : The Federal
Update: 2024-08-19 09:19 GMT
As part of the BJP government’s ambitious plan to infuse fresh talent in government services to further improve ease of governance, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on August 17 advertised for jobs in 45 posts in central ministries to be filled through the 'lateral entry' mode on contract basis or deputation.
The advertisement is for the post of 10 joint secretaries, 35 directors, and deputy secretaries across 24 Central Ministries. The posts are to be filled by September 17.
These posts are usually manned by the officers of all-India services, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service and other Group A services. So far, this is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, said reports.
So, what is lateral entry into the bureaucracy? What is the logic behind it, who are eligible and what does it entail?
What does lateral entry into the bureaucracy mean?
Historically, the government has always incorporated outside talent into its higher echelons of administration, typically in advisory roles but occasionally even in key administrative assignments. For example, the chief economic advisor is usually a lateral entrant who, according to the rules, must be below 45 years of age and is invariably an eminent economist.
According to a report in a business daily, the concept of lateral entry was first introduced under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and strongly endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), established in 2005 and chaired by (senior Congress leader) Veerappa Moily. However, it was in 2017, NITI Aayog and a group of secretaries, recommended the induction of personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government. These ‘lateral entrants’ were to be part of the central secretariat which, till then, had only career bureaucrats from the All India Services/ Central Civil Services.
What is the idea behind lateral entry?
Basically, the idea behind lateral recruitment is for the government to tap into an individual’s domain expertise and specialised knowledge without considering if they are career bureaucrats or not. This latest induction of lateral entrants referred to as specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments is aimed at bringing in fresh talent and perspective into the governance.
The officials in the Central Secretariat have always been considered IAS-dominated. In 2019, minister of state for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh explained to the Rajya Sabha that through lateral recruitment they hope to achieve the twin objectives of bringing in fresh talent as well as improve manpower strength.
In their advertisement, the UPSC has now called for applications from “talented and motivated Indian nationals for Lateral Recruitment”. According to reports quoting government sources, the logic behind lateral recruitment is to create a talent pool of professionals who can be inducted into the government on a short-term or contractual basis. They can offer fresh perspectives and cutting-edge expertise in areas such as economics, finance, technology and public policy and can also improve the efficiency of the Indian bureaucracy.
When was it formally introduced?
The lateral entry scheme was formally introduced in 2018, when the government advertised vacancies for joint secretaries in central ministries. The posts of the rank of director and deputy secretary were opened later. So, this is not the first time the government is inviting applications from lateral entrants into the bureaucracy.
What were the earlier lateral entry recruitments?
Lateral entrants were recruited in two tranches earlier. In 2018, 6,077 people applied for 10 posts for joint secretaries and nine joint secretaries are selected, out of which eight join their posts.
In 2021 again, out of 2,031 applicants, 30 candidates are selected. Three joint secretaries, 18 directors and 9 deputy secretaries join 21 ministries. The government has recruited only 38 officers through the lateral entry route in four years, said reports.
Previous examples of lateral entry recruits?
The officers at these levels play an important role in policy-making. An example of a high-profile hire is Ramanan Ramanathan of Tata Consultancy Services who joined in the first tranche to head the Atal Innovation Mission. Another was Amber Dubey, an IIT-Bombay and IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, who was a senior partner at KPMG prior to his stint as joint secretary in civil aviation ministry.
Who are eligible to apply? What is their pay packet?
Individuals working at comparable levels in private sector companies, consultancy organisations, international/multinational organisations among others with a minimum of 15 years experience for joint secretary-level posts, 10 years for director-level posts and seven years for deputy secretary level posts are eligible to apply.
The minimum and maximum age limit for the JS level post are 40 and 55 years respectively and approximate gross salary would be around ₹2.7 lakh including dearness allowance, transport and house rent allowances.
The minimum age for director level post is 35 years and maximum is 45 years. Selected candidates are eligible to get around ₹2.32 lakh salary. For deputy secretary level, candidates with minimum age of 32 years and maximum of 40 years are eligible to apply. A gross salary of around ₹1.52 lakh has been fixed for the candidates at this level, said reports.
How long is the contract signed for?
They would be given contracts of three years, extendable to a total term of five years. There is no provision to retain them beyond five years even if they are outstanding.
Where are the current vacancies in this latest lateral entry hiring?
The 10 posts of joint secretaries are in home, finance and steel ministries among others. Thirty-five posts of director/deputy secretary-level will be filled in the ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare, civil aviation and fnformation & broadcasting ministries among others.
What has been the experience of earlier lateral entry recruits?
The bureaucracy is often hostile towards the laterals and treat them as "outsiders". They are not part of the IAS WhatsApp groups, and many of them are not even invited to their social gatherings or parties. There is a lot of resistance among the senior officers but many apply to contribute to "nation building". And, some apply to get the experience of working for the government.
Why are the Opposition leaders against the lateral entry recruits?
Opposition party leaders, including Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav have criticised the policy for not having reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidat