On Tuesday, August 20, the government asked the UPSC to cancel its most recent lateral entry recruitment, citing a disagreement about reservation in the advertised positions.

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Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel, wrote to Preeti Sudan, Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), requesting that the advertising be cancelled so that underprivileged groups have proper representation in government jobs.

What is the issue?

The UPSC had on August 17 issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry -- referred to as appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments.

The decision had ignited criticism from the opposition parties, which claimed it undermined the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs and STs.

In the letter, Singh said that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of "our social justice framework", aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity.

"Since these positions have been treated as specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Hon'ble Prime Minister's focus on ensuring social justice," he said.

"I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024," he added.

Singh said this step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment.

"It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005, chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 were also in the same direction," he said.

However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants, he said.

Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc., have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations, Singh said.

"Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister's Office," he said.

While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, the efforts of "our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open", the minister said.

Further, the prime minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation, Singh said.

With agency inputs