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Polity & Governance
Mahesh

21/08/24 12:40 PM IST

Lateral entry for government posts

In News
  • The Union Service Public Commission (UPSC) recently issued an advertisement to recruit for multiple roles in certain Central Ministries through lateral entry, either on a contract basis or through deputation.
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  • The advertisment seeks experts to fill joint secretary, director and deputy secretary posts in several departments/ministries.
  • Of these, the joint secretary positions are in fields including emerging technologies, semi-conductors and electronics, environment policy and law, digital economy, fintech, cybersecurity, investment in economic affairs, shipping, science and technology, economic/commercial/industrial posts under the Steel Ministry, renewable energy, policy and plan, and the National Disaster Management Authority.
  • Vacancies for directors and deputy secretaries are present in departments related to climate change, forestry, integrated nutrients management, natural farming, rain-fed farming system, organic farming, urban water management, aviation management, chemicals and petrochemicals, commodity pricing, insolvency and bankruptcy, education laws, education technology, international law, finance, tax policy, manufacturing/auto, advanced chemical cell battery manufacturing for automobile sector, and official languages.
  • One position pertains to digital media, and is in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
  • The application is open to “talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation-building,” in addition to State/UT officers and employees from public sector undertakings.
  • For applicants from the private sector, appointments would be made on a contract basis, while applicants from the public sector would be posted on deputation.
  • Notably, directly recruited Central government employees are not eligible for the advertised posts.
  • The term of appointment for these posts is three years, which can be extended to five years based on performance.
  • The post of joint secretary requires 15 years of experience in a relevant domain, and candidates must be between 40 and 55 years of age.
  • For director posts, the age requirement is 35 to 40, while for deputy secretary posts, it is 32 to 40. 
Concept of lateral entry
  • In a lateral entry to the civil services, persons are recruited from outside the usual bureaucratic setup for certain posts in government departments. In India, this may include mid or senior-level positions in services such as the Indian Administrative Service.
  • The usual practice is for these posts to be filled by civil servants, who enter the services through examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.
  • Lateral entry envisages the inclusion of domain experts or those with experience in policy-making and implementation from outside the civil services.
  • Private sector employees have often been tapped for advisory roles, but this model sees their entry into the administrative service hierarchy.
  • An example of such a role is that of the Chief Economic Advisor of India, usually a prominent economist who must meet the prescribed upper age limit of 45, as a government source highlighted.
  • In India, lateral entry into certain posts in the Central government was implemented by the Modi government in 2018.
  • The concept, however, was reportedly spearheaded by the Congress-led UPA government and recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission formed in 2005 under the chairmanship of former Union Law Minister and Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily. 
  • The concept of lateral entry is also reportedly in keeping with the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) and NITI Aayog in 2017, which stipulated that around 40 individuals could be recruited through lateral entry to fill up government vacancies.
  • Further, in 2019, sources in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) indicated that the government was working on a plan to recruit individuals for the post of director/deputy secretary under the Central Staffing Scheme, which works to select/appoint officers of the rank of undersecretary and above. 
Lateral entry in other countries
  • Notably, other countries have regularised lateral entry into administrative posts— including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Belgium.
  • Across the world, the phenomenon of government officials transitioning to lobbyists and corporate entities and vice versa has often been christened as a “revolving door” model in governance. In such a system, there is a flow between government posts and decision-making roles in corporations or industries.
  • Such posts include legislative posts— such as members of Congress in the United States— as well as civil servants and members of the executuve appointed by successive political administrations.
  • In the U.S., there is usually a “cooling off” period before the government official can engage in lobbying, with laws differing by State.
  • The revolving-door system has come under fire for undermining public interest, particularly in industries such as Big Pharma, the energy and fossil fuel sector and defence.
  • A paper notes that public actors involved may “regulate in favour of the corporations either to secure a post-government position in the private sector or when moving from private to public office because they have been socialized in the industry setting.” 
  • Concerns over revolving doors operating between governments and the energy and fossil fuel industry, in particular, have emerged in several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Norway. 
Source - The Hindu

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