Lateral entries in govt jobs bypass quota policy: Congress

The government has argued that its intention was to hire talent from different spheres, including the private sector, to augment its own capacity.

The Congress on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government had bypassed the reservation policy for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and other backward classes (OBCs) by opting for contractual appointments.

The Centre’s decision to induct specialists at the joint secretary level through lateral recruitment has drawn criticism from opposition parties because it bypassed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination system. (HT Photo)

During the zero hour in the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader PL Punia said the government appointed nine joint secretaries through the “lateral appointment” process in May, but the policy of reserving posts for SCs, STs and OBCs wasn’t followed.

The Centre’s decision to induct specialists at the joint secretary level through lateral recruitment has drawn criticism from opposition parties because it bypassed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination system, which reserves 15% of posts for the SCs, 7.5% for STs and 27% for OBCs in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The government has argued that its intention was to hire talent from different spheres, including the private sector, to augment its own capacity. “Had the government followed the reservation policy, it would have appointed ST, SC and OBc candidates...” Punia said, urging the implementation of reservation provisions in the lateral entry recruitment system in the central government.