New Delhi:  Politics is heated these days regarding lateral entry in the services of Union Public Service Commission. There is a round of allegations and counter-allegations going on. Let us know the story behind the issue on which the opposition is creating a ruckus.

The concept came for the first time during the UPA period

Lateral entry means direct recruitment of experts from the private sector. Through this, posts of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries are recruited in the ministries of the central government. This concept was first introduced during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. It was supported by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Veerappa Moily in 2005.

The ARC was tasked with recommending reforms to make the Indian administrative system more effective, transparent and citizen-friendly.

ARC gave these arguments

Some government roles require specialized knowledge that is not always available within traditional civil services. Hence, it is important to involve subject matter experts.

This will create a pool of experts. These subject matter experts will bring fresh perspectives and expertise in areas such as economics, finance, technology and public policy.

Lateral entries should be integrated into the existing civil services in such a manner that their specialist skills can be leveraged while maintaining the integrity and ethos of the civil services.

The Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Morarji Desai had prepared the basis

The first Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Morarji Desai in 1966 laid the foundation for this. However, the commission did not advocate lateral entry. Later, the post of Chief Economic Advisor started being filled through lateral entry. According to the rules, the age for this should be less than 45 years and he must be a reputed economist. On the same lines, many other experts are appointed as secretaries to the government.

Formal launch of lateral entry during Modi government

The lateral entry scheme was formally launched during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2018, the government invited applications from experts for senior positions like joint secretaries and directors. This was the first time that professionals from both private and public sectors were given a chance in it.