No Plans to Discontinue Lateral Entry Recruitment: Jitendra Singh

Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh stated that the government remains committed to lateral entry recruitment and has no plans to discontinue the initiative. Lateral entry refers to the appointment of subject matter experts, including those from the private sector, into key positions in government departments.

He emphasized that the scheme was launched with good intentions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring domain expertise into governance.

Notably, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had canceled a recruitment notification in August 2024, which aimed to fill 45 senior positions through lateral entry due to political controversy around the lack of reservation provisions. The notification issued on 17 August 2024 included 10 positions for Joint Secretaries and 35 for Directors or Deputy Secretaries.

The cancellation was criticized by opposition parties who claimed that the move diluted reservation rights for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST).