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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on August 30, 2024

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On the controversy over lateral entry into the civil services

For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS II - Indian Polity & Governance

Context:

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had withdrawn its advertisement pertaining to lateral recruitment for 45 posts of Joint Secretaries (JS), Directors and Deputy Secretaries (DS) in the government. This follows objections raised by coalition partners and the Opposition as well as the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the need for reservation in such lateral recruitment.

Read about:

What is Lateral entry?

What is Union Public Service Commission?

Key takeaways:

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has retracted its advertisement for lateral recruitment of 45 positions, including Joint Secretaries (JS), Directors, and Deputy Secretaries (DS) in the government. This decision comes after objections from coalition partners, the Opposition, and the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) regarding the need for reservations in such lateral recruitment.

Merit System vs. Spoils System

The merit system involves appointing individuals to government positions through a rigorous selection process conducted by an independent authority. In India, this system began in 1858 with the introduction of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) by the British to select officers for the administration. Post-independence, the UPSC conducts exams to select officers for the IAS, IPS, and other central services. The merit system aims to create career bureaucrats who are expected to operate without political bias and provide independent advice to the political leadership.

Conversely, the spoils system operates on the principle that "to the victor belong the spoils," where the ruling political executive appoints its supporters to various government positions. This system originated in the U.S. and continued until 1883 when it was largely replaced by the merit system. Currently, out of over 2.8 million federal government positions in the U.S., only about 4,000 senior positions are directly appointed by the President.

What is Lateral Entry?

IAS and other central service officers with over 15 years of experience are typically appointed as JS to lead various departments, a critical role where they prepare cabinet notes, manage parliamentary questions, and coordinate with other ministries and State governments.

Lateral entry refers to the appointment of professionals from the private sector, public sector undertakings, and academia to senior and middle management positions within the government. Since independence, there have been instances of technocrats being appointed to secretary-level positions, such as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005) and NITI Aayog (2017) also recommended lateral entry to bring specialized knowledge and skills into governance.

Pros and Cons of Lateral Entry

Lateral entry offers tangible benefits. First, it introduces much-needed specialization in niche areas like emerging technologies, semiconductors, climate change, the digital economy, and cybersecurity. Second, it brings fresh ideas from experts, revitalizing the system. Third, it can make career bureaucrats more responsive, fostering positive changes.

However, there are significant limitations. The domain expertise of IAS officers, developed through field experience, is difficult for external entrants to match. Coordination issues may arise between lateral entrants and career bureaucrats, and there is a risk of opacity and conflicts of interest when recruit