Lateral entry in UPSC is open for forty-five posts of Joint Secretary, Directors and Deputy Secretary in various ministries of the Modi Government. Now corporate experts will become officers without passing UPSC. Since the beginning of the third term of this government, major changes have been seen in the administrative structure to bring new energy to the administrative system.

Modi government introduced a new method in government work five years ago called lateral entry. This type of recruitment was done for the first time in 2019 and is now being repeated on a larger scale.

What is lateral entry in UPSC?

Lateral entry in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) offers a non-traditional pathway for recruiting individuals from the private sector. Those who possess specialized expertise and skills can directly enter into senior positions within the Indian civil services. Furthermore, this approach circumvents the traditional requirement of taking the UPSC Civil Services Examination. This initiative is aimed at bringing in expertise from outside the government. This is to improve governance and ensure efficient delivery of services. Moreover, it improves government bureaucracy.

Key points about lateral entry:

1. Positions: These are typically at the Joint Secretary, Director, or Deputy Secretary level in various ministries and departments of the Government of India.
2. Eligibility: The candidates are usually required to have significant professional experience (often 15 years or more) in the relevant domain, along with qualifications like a post-graduate degree or a similar professional qualification.
3. Selection Process: Instead of the standard UPSC exams, candidates are selected through interviews conducted by a panel, often including members from the government and private sector.
4. Purpose: The aim is to infuse fresh perspectives, skills, and specialized knowledge into the bureaucracy, which is traditionally filled by career civil servants.

Lateral entry in UPSC is seen as an effort to modernize the bureaucracy by incorporating more diverse talents and experiences.

UPSC released advertisement

Since the beginning of the third term of the Modi government, major changes have been seen in the administrative structure to bring new energy into the administrative system. The central government has transferred 20 secretaries, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Home Secretary, earlier this week.

Along with this, the government has taken another important step to increase administrative capacity. That is the recruitment of ‘domain experts’. Central Public Service Commission (UPSC) has issued an advertisement in this regard.

45 domain experts will be recruited

In the biggest lateral entry in UPSC at present, the government aims to recruit 45 domain experts at the level of Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Director. Of these, 10 posts are at the Joint Secretary level, the rest are at Deputy Secretary and Director level. These recruitments will be done for important ministries like finance, electronics, agriculture, environment and renewable energy.

The government believes that the arrival of domain experts will improve policy formulation and implementation. These experts have special experience in their field in the private sector. The objective of the government behind this is to incorporate the specialized knowledge and experience of the private sector into the government sector.

Lateral entry in UPSC is an interesting initiative

Lateral entry in UPSC itself has been an interesting initiative. Earlier, only senior IAS officers had been joining the central bureaucracy. Bringing professionals from outside for lateral entry into UPSC was introduced by the Modi government. It is to bring in professionals from outside the traditional civil services. Thus bringing a relatively new approach to governance. In the year 2019, many such people got government jobs for the first time.

Such experts have been recruited to take advantage of the new ideas and experiences of new people through lateral entry into UPSC. These experts had good knowledge of areas like economy, infrastructure, and agriculture. In the last five years, the government has recruited these domain specialists in some batches. Some of these people have also been given extensions to hold the post of Joint Secretary.

Challenges of lateral entry in UPSC

However, along with the potential for lateral entry into UPSC, there are also some challenges. Some experts have brought new thinking and effective changes, while some have had to deal with the complexities of bureaucracy. Therefore, some people in lateral entry in UPSC left government jobs and went back to the private sector.

Despite all these challenges, this is the largest batch for lateral entry in UPSC in recent times. Moreover, it also reflects the Modi government’s commitment to reforming the bureaucracy and utilizing external talent.