Union Minister Jitendra Singh has written to the UPSC Chairman, regarding the cancellation of the lateral entry advertisement, following instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) writes to Chairman UPSC on canceling the Lateral Entry advertisement as per directions of PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/Qqbw0S1v7d
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024
This development comes around the time, when BJP ally & union minister Chirag Paswan recently expressed over appointment of individuals to government positions without ensuring reservations.
But, the controversy surrounding lateral entry intensified, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing it of being an “attack” on Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis.
Centre in its response, accused Congress for allegedly making misleading statements about the largest scale of lateral recruitment in the bureaucracy, asserting that this initiative will not impact the recruitment of SC/ST candidates in the all-India services.
What Exactly Is Lateral Entry?
In Bureaucracy, Lateral entry usually involves hiring of individuals from outside the conventional government service cadres, like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to occupy mid and senior-level roles within government departments.