Lateral entry appointment of senior government officials
Recently the central government will appoint senior officers through lateral entry mode.
- The Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India has asked the Union Public Service Commission to recruit senior officers from the private sector through lateral entry.
- Lateral entry refers to the appointment of experts from the private sector in government departments.
- The process of appointment through lateral entry started in 2018. Now the fourth lateral entry is starting.
- The Surinder Nath Committee (2003), the Hota Committee (2004), and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2008) also supported the idea of appointing senior officers through lateral entry.
- NITI Aayog in its three-year action agenda (2017-2020) had also recommended the inclusion of such personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government.
Arguments in favor of lateral entry:
- It makes fresh talent as well as expert personnel available to the government, thus serving a dual purpose.
- Private sector experts have the opportunity to work alongside permanent civil servants who have worked in a range of sectors. This gives better results in administration.
- Currently, the complexity of the governance system is increasing due to factors such as digitization of governance, increase in financial frauds and cyber crimes. Lateral entry will help in dealing with this complication.
- The appointment of experts through lateral entry will increase the spirit of competition within the governance and thereby increase the efficiency of civil servants.
Arguments Against Lateral Entry:
- Difficulty arises in adjusting it with the work culture of bureaucracy.
- Due to the short service period, there is a problem in fixing accountability.
- People who come to civil service through lateral entry have less experience of working in the field.
Source – The Hindu
