IAS Without UPSC: What exactly is lateral entry into the Civil Services?

In an unprecedented and pioneering move, the government has, for the first time, invited private sector employees with 15 years of work experience and a minimum age criteria of 40, to skip the UPSC route and join directly at the Joint Secretary level. At present, the Central government is inviting applications for ten such positions in different ministries and departments, such as, revenue, financial services, economic affairs, agriculture, cooperation & farmers’ welfare, road transport & highways, shopping, environment, forests and climate change, new & renewable energy, civil aviation and commerce.

In a bid to augment manpower shortage, the NITI Aayog as well as a committee of secretaries has recommended opening the doors of government for lateral entrants. This will not only help bridge the manpower gap, but will also infuse fresh ideas and innovative solutions to governance. Till now, the position of joint secretaryship was the domain of the all-india service officers from the cadres of IAS, IRS, IPS and Income Tax Services.

Frankly, this move by the Central Government is truly commendable for several reasons. Firstly, it will bring in a “thinking” diversity that would be beneficial for the system and this country as a whole. In other words, bringing in these “technocrats” amidst the bureaucrats may actually be the precursor to usher in a ‘technocracy’, which till date is a hypothetical phenomenon wherein the entire government functions is seen from an “engineering” angle. In a lot of ways, this will actually turn a “social system” into a “scientific system”, wherein problems of the country would be seen systematically and logically, rather than just socially. After all, it is not coincidence that when we talk of the government systems, we refer to it as “government machinery”.

Secondly, if we look at the current selection process of the bureaucracy, in particular the examination pattern; there are several things that seem apparently wrong. For starters, they simply have to write an exam, which unfortunately is  significantly oriented towards the arts stream and then become the permanent government of this country. That examination pattern itself is wrong if we want to maintain a balance in the society. After all, isn’t science and commerce equally important for the smooth functioning of the society?!? These lateral entrants would bring in a diverse educational background that would do this country a world of good in terms of its systems.

Of course, then there is the question of a diverse experience that these people will bring into the bureaucracy owing to the simple fact that these lateral entrants will come in from different sectors and different industries. They will have their own ethos and ways of working. All together, it would be result in a great union of sorts, wherein the best of the best from different walks of life will come together to function as a whole. Each will take from the other what it lacks and it will in turn make the system more robust and fruitful. This in turn, is what governance is all about. And even though this move took more than 70 years to come, it’s better late than never.