Union Minister writes to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel lateral entry advertisement | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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Union Minister writes to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel lateral entry advertisement

Posted 20 Aug 2024

2 min read

Advertisement was released for the post of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries in different central ministries.

  • Till now, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry out of which 35 appointments have been from the private sector.

About lateral entries

  • It refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.
  • It was formally introduced in 2018, on the recommendation of NITI Aayog three-year Action Agenda.
  • It was  also endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission established in 2005.

Arguments in favour

  • Bring in domain expertise to address complex challenges in governance and policy implementation
  • Augmenting the availability of manpower, only 442 IAS officers are working with the Centre, against the required strength of 1,469 officers.
  • Widen the talent pool for appointment, similar practice is also followed in RBI successfully.

Arguments against: 

Difficult to ensure accountability as tenure is short, lack of field experience, deter existing talent, lack of clarity about reservation, etc.

Other reforms required to strengthen bureaucracy

  • Deputation to Private Sector to bring in domain expertise and competition.
  • Institutionalize goal setting and tracking for each department.
  • Appraisal mechanisms such as the government's new “360 degree” performance appraisal mechanism.
  • Setting up public administration universities for aspiring and serving civil servants.
  • Tags :
  • UPSC
  • Lateral Entry
  • NITI Aayog three-year Action Agenda
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