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The Government of India recently requested to recruit Joint Secretary and Director level employees through lateral recruitment. “On a contract basis, the government is inviting online applications from talented and motivated Indian nationals who want to contribute to nation-building to join the government at the level of Joint Secretary or Director, Group ‘A’, in the following posts in various Ministries/Departments with headquarters in New Delhi.,” according to the official notification.
This is the second round of lateral entry recruiting; previously, eight people, largely domain specialists, were chosen for various Departments and Ministries.
What is Lateral Entry in Civil Service?
To enter into the civil services, such as IAS and IPS, a candidate must pass the UPSC civil services exam in three stages: preliminary, main exam, and interview. One-third of the Indian civil services vacancies are filled by promotions of eligible individuals working in various State Services.
Need For Lateral Entry in Civil Service
The notion that the Indian civil service requires institutional change is not new. Against the services, allegations of corruption, mediocrity, stagnation, and inefficiency have been levelled. Officers are likewise in low supply, particularly in the middle ranks. According to the Paswan Committee study, big states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar have a 75 to 100 officer shortage. Lateral entry is offered as a way to compensate for this shortfall while simultaneously avoiding the challenges of initial large-scale recruitment.
Why Does the Indian Bureaucracy Need to Be Revitalised?
India is ranked 130th in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index and at the 76th spot on the ‘Transparency International Corruption Perception Index’. It also states that India has the highest bribery rate in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the political and economic consultancy report, India’s bureaucracy is the slowest of the 12 Asian countries studied. Such indexes and statistics reflect India’s backward bureaucracy and unprogressive performance and call for quick renewal.
Counter-arguments to Civil Service Lateral Entry
The All India Services, according to the first Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) and the Sarkaria Commission, create a unique link between cutting-edge fieldwork and senior policy-making positions.
This link between policy making and implementation is important in all systems, but it is especially important in India because of its geographical variety.
Because the private sector lacks the same breadth and depth of exposure to this type of field experience, the direction and sensitivity to the country’s complex socio-political milieu and the needs of ordinary citizens that overall practical experience provides to these services may not be available.
Given the various linkages in the chain of command from the union government to a rural hamlet, lateral entrance only at top-level policymaking posts may have minimal impact on field-level execution.
In the private sector, the right talent is scarce.
Fresh recruiting for a Senior Executive Service (SES) poses operational challenges.
 As a result of the creation of a new senior-level recruitment channel, there is a risk that such recruiting will harm the constitutional obligation for affirmative action.
Concerning private sector newcomers, there is a conflict of interest.
Internal talent loss is possible, as is the deterioration of existing career-based services.
Contributions of the First Administrative Reform Commission
While looking into the general subject of personnel administration about higher management roles in the Government of India, the first Administrative Reforms Commission distinguished between two types of senior management jobs, viz.
The appropriate operational cadre should fill posts in the functional area.
Outside the functional area for which the required operational experience is needed, positions in the All India Services, the Central Services, and among experts such as engineers, scientists, and economists may be available.
Aside from purely functional appointments, the commission proposes that the level of Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in senior management “stretch out” and that “it should be conceivable, and it is critical, to permit for transfer from one expertise to an adjacent speciality.” “At the highest level of special secretary or secretary and equivalent in central government, one’s general managerial skills should count the most.”
Report of the 10th Administrative Reforms Committee: Recommendations
A more open and objective placement mechanism should replace the current empanelment system for short-listing officers posting at the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) level and higher.
It is vital to ensure that the activities assigned to public workers fit their domain expertise, aptitude, and potential at higher levels of government.
All SAG level roles should be classified according to their appropriate functional domains.
Establishing competition for senior government positions is necessary by offering these seats to all services.
Under the proposed Civil Services Bill, a ‘Central Civil Services Authority’ should be established. It will be a five-person body, including the Chairperson and four other members.
The Central Civil Services Authority should handle the assignment of domains to officers.
Preparing panels for posting officers at the joint secretary level and higher, determining the length of tenure for senior positions,
determining which positions in the civil service might be listed for lateral entrance, and the government may refer to it for any other concerns.
Conclusion
Recruitment for specialised mission-mode projects can be done through lateral entry. Nandan Nilekani, for example, is working on the Aadhaar project.
For public employees to work outside the government with multilateral agencies, nonprofits, or enterprises’, norms should be liberalised.
