Amid political row, UPSC drops latest lateral-entry recruitment drive
New Delhi, Aug 20: The UPSC on Tuesday cancelled its latest advertisement to fill key posts in government departments through lateral entry, amid a political row over the lack of a reservation provision for those positions.
The move came after Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairperson Preeti Sudan to cancel the advertisement, so that marginalised communities get their rightful representation in government services.
The commission had, on August 17, issued a notification for the recruitment of 45 posts -- 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors or deputy secretaries -- through lateral entry, which is referred to as the appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments. It was one of the biggest tranches of lateral recruitment announced by the commission.
The decision had ignited criticism from the opposition parties, which claimed that it undermined the reservation rights of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, the head of BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), had also said the proposed recruitment was a "matter of concern" for him and that he would take up the matter with the Centre.
Official sources said the decision to cancel the advertisement was taken by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the government would now review the lateral-entry recruitment drive with reference to the applicability of reservation provisions in it.
At present, the sources said, there is no policy and provision for reservation for these specialised or single-cadre posts.
They said comments and concerns of all stakeholders would be taken into account by the government to find out whether or not reservation can be applied to lateral-entry recruitment.
"The Centre may review its reservation policy to ensure social justice in lateral-entry recruitment," a source said.
In the letter to the UPSC, Singh said for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of "our social justice framework", aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity.
"Since these positions have been treated as specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Hon'ble Prime Minister's focus on ensuring social justice," the minister said.
"Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024," he added.
Singh said the step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment.
"It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005, chaired by (senior Congress leader) Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 were also in the same direction," he said.
However, there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants before and after that, Singh pointed out.
Under earlier governments, posts as important as those of secretaries in various ministries, the leadership of the UIDAI etc. were given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservation, he said.
"Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister's Office," the minister added.
While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, the efforts of "our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open", he said.
Further, the prime minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice as enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation, Singh added.
Lateral recruitment in the central government has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area.
The officers at these levels play an important role in policy-making.
So far, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry, of which 35 were from the private sector. At present, 57 such officers are in positions in different ministries and departments, according to the latest data.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
