Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday wrote a letter to the UPSC Chairman to cancel the latent entry advertisement that was issued by it for the recruitment of IAS & equivalent level officers without giving exams. The Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi had accused PM Modi of parachuting RSS leaders into the bureaucracy via latent entry. Furthermore, Rahul Gandhi had accused PM Modi and the BJP of the UPSC latent entry advertisement as a major step towards removing reservation as it was not based on the quota system. Even Chirag Paswan, an NDA ally while talking to a newswire outlined that he does not support this. Below is what Dr. Jitender Singh wrote in his letter-
Respected Smt. Preeti Sudan ji,
I am writing to you on the important issue of lateral entry into the Government of India.
Recently, the UPSC issued an advertisement related to a number of lateral entry posts at various levels in the Central Government.
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 Meily. The recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were also in the same direction,
However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants
Under earlier goments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, et 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 Prime Minister's Office.
While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 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 Hon'ble 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 our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation.
For the Hon'ble Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity.
It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in the government services.
Since these positions have been treated as specialized 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. Hence. I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024.
This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment."
For the unversed, UPSC lateral entry became the topic of discussion after the organization on Saturday (August 17) issued an advertisement seeking applications for 'talented and motivated Indian nationals for Lateral Recruitment' to the posts of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries of the Union government. A total of 45 posts have been advertised with individuals having appropriate qualifications and experience from State/UT governments, PSUs, statutory organisations, research institutes and universities, and even the private sector eligible to apply. The advertisement mentions that all posts are “suitable for candidates belonging to the category of Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD).”