Lateral entry into bureaucracy started during previous Congress-led rule: Govt.
NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi made lateral entry recruitment transparent: Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal
Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Central government dismissed allegations made by Opposition parties that lateral entry into senior positions in the bureaucracy sidesteps reservation policies, stating that such recruitments were previously made under the Congress-led rule as well.
On Monday, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the media that Rahul Gandhi held the constitutional post of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but was speaking on the issue without paying any attention to the facts.
“He says that RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) people are being recruited through lateral entry. The fact is that Dr. Manmohan Singh was also a part of lateral entry. In 1976, how was he appointed as Financial Secretary directly? Then, through the same route, Montek Singh Ahluwalia was brought in and he served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (2004 to 2014),” Mr. Meghwal said.
Mr. Meghwal said there were many such examples from the previous Congress rule. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the process was organised, and such entry of experts in the relevant fields was now being made on a contractual basis via the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
“They are making false allegations that the government is trying to end reservation….what were they doing when they were allowing lateral entries? In 1961,…Jawaharlal Nehru had said he was against reservation…Rajiv Gandhi, as a Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, had spoken against reservation for OBCs. Now, suddenly they (the Congress) are so concerned about the reserved categories? The fact is that they are trying to mislead SC (Scheduled Castes)/ST (Scheduled Tribes)/OBC (Other Backward Classes) but will not succeed this time,” Mr. Meghwal said.
In a post on social media platform X late on Sunday night, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also accused the Congress of hypocrisy. “It was the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government which developed the concept of lateral entry. The second Admin Reforms Commission (ARC) was established in 2005 under UPA government. Shri Veerappa Moily chaired it,” the Minister said.
Mr. Vaishnaw said that during the UPA period, the ARC had recommended recruitment of experts to fill the gaps in roles that required specialised knowledge. “The NDA government has created a transparent method to implement this recommendation. Recruitment will be done through UPSC in a transparent and fair manner. This reform will improve governance,” he added.
He later told the reporters that lateral-entry posts were three-year contractual jobs extendable by two more years, if necessary. They did not cut into the roster of any service and did not affect regular recruitments, and therefore the reservation system remained intact. Stating that “a mountain out of mole hill” was being created over the issue, the Minister dismissed the Congress’ charges as baseless.
The Minister said barely about 0.5% of cumulative cadre strength in the Administrative, Economic, Revenue, and Forest Services was being recruited this time, and most candidates were expected to come from banks and public sector undertakings on deputation.
Government sources said Sam Pitroda, chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress, was brought in during the 1980s, under the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s administration. He served as Chairperson of the National Knowledge Commission, and as advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations. Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh entered the government in 1971, when he was appointed as an Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys, was appointed as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2009. Raghuram Rajan was made Chief Economic Advisor to the Finance Ministry in 2012 and he went on to serve as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 2013 to 2016. Economist Bimal Jalan was made Chief Economic Advisor and later RBI Governor (1997-2003). Economist Kaushik Basu served as Chief Economic Advisor to the Central government in 2009 and another economist, Arvind Virmani, held the same post from 2007 to 2009.
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