A few days back, the UPSC had issued an advertisement seeking lateral entry of talent into government service for several posts of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary levels. This created a buzz amongst many of us in the Corporate Sector. I thought it was a very good move to add talent and bring in fresh perspectives, new ideas, and specialized skills into the government.
However, there was criticism from the opposition parties because the advertisement did not mention reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the recruitment process. One of the political parties which is part of the NDA government also criticized the move. This move by the government was painted as an attack on the Constitution for ignoring reservations.
Yesterday, the Indian government decided to cancel the planned lateral entry. I believe this move is disappointing and undermines the potential for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government. While it is true that ensuring reservations of SCs & STs in government jobs is crucial, it is important to note that the cancelled recruitment process was meant for specialized positions requiring specific skills and expertise, not for generalist roles.
Moreover, as Karthik Muralidharan, author of “Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance,” argues, the lack of state capacity is one of the biggest hurdles to India’s development. He highlights the need for a more effective state, emphasizing state-level reforms as critical for India’s advancement. Lateral entry of talent with specialized skills and expertise could have been a crucial step towards building that capacity.
While I strongly believe in social justice and agree that reservations are required, such a policy need not be applied blindly in all situations. It is already well accepted that reservations are not applicable for Single Post cadres in the Government. If reservations have to be incorporated even for lateral recruitment, the government may not be able to fill the positions or will need to create additional positions just to fill the quota.
The cancellation is a step backwards that will ultimately harm the country’s development prospects. Instead of cancelling the lateral entry process, the government should have explored ways to ensure that it is implemented in a fair and equitable manner.
gopaldevanahalli 