Centre's U-turn on lateral entry; UPSC cancels ads
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 20
After the Centre's request, the UPSC on Tuesday cancelled the latest advertisement for lateral entry recruitment to bureaucracy, according to an official order.
Under attack from the Congress-led Opposition and its own allies LJP and JD (U) for advertising 45 government posts without the benefit of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC quotas, the Government on Tuesday rolled back the plan to induct private sector specialists to key central positions asking the UPSC to cancel the lateral entry advertisements issued on August 17.
"It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginal communities get their rightful representation in the government services. Since these positions (the ones advertised by the UPSC) have been treated as specialised and designated as single cadre posts, there has been no provision of reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in context of PM Narendra Modi's focus on ensuring social justice. Hence I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on August 17. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment," Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a letter to UPSC chairman Preeti Sudan on Tuesday.
The minister also recalled the history of the lateral entry plan saying it as a principle lateral entry was endorsed by the second Administrative Reforms Commission, which was constituted in 2005 and chaired by Congress veteran Veerappa Moily.
"The recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission in 2013 (under Congress led UPA) were also in the same direction. However before and after that there have been many high profile cases of lateral entrants. Under earlier government posts as important as secretaries in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super bureaucracy that controlled the PMO," Jitendra Singh said in his letter.
The minister added that while most of the major lateral entries before 2014 (when Narendra Modi became PM) were made in an ad hoc manner, "including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open."
"Further the PM is of the first belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservations. For the PM reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity," Singh said.
UPSC had issued ads to induct 45 private experts across joint secretary level (10 posts), director and deputy sector level posts in specialised segments across ministries of home, science and technology, electronics and information technology, new and renewable energy among others.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati have attacked the lateral entry scheme for absence of SC, ST, OBC quotas.
संविधान जयते !
हमारे दलित, आदिवासी, पिछड़े और कमज़ोर वर्गों के सामाजिक न्याय के लिए कांग्रेस पार्टी की लड़ाई ने भाजपा के आरक्षण छीनने के मंसूबों पर पानी फेरा है।
Lateral Entry पर मोदी सरकार की चिट्ठी ये दर्शाती है कि तानाशाही सत्ता के अहंकार को संविधान की ताक़त ही हरा सकती… https://t.co/l154jpAcXW
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 20, 2024
Yadav even threatened a national level stir -- something the BJP-led NDA government could ill afford on the eve of assembly elections in Haryana, JK, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
