Note4Students:

If lateral entry is allowed in civil services, it could be a game changing decision. The government has sought recommendations in this regard. This issue can also be linked to GS Mains paper 2 topic i.e. role of Civil service in Democracy. UPSC has asked question on Similar type of issue in Mains 2014(Domain based Civil service!).Thus CD considers this topic as highly probable topic for mains 2017.

Context

Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has been asked to prepare a proposition on lateral entries into civil services that deal with economy and infrastructure and prepare a broad outline of modalities for selecting private individuals for appointment in the ranks of deputy secretary, director and joint secretary.

How will it be implemented, if approved?

The shortlisting of private sector executives or social workers would be through a matrix of experience and qualification, without taking into account their existing salaries. The final selection would be done by a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary

 Was the idea discussed ever before?

1. The idea of lateral induction is not new. It has been recommended by high level committees appointed by different governments and a plethora of think tanks.
2. The first Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) had pointed out the need for specialization as far back as in 1965.
3. The Surinder Nath Committee and the Hota Committee also recommended the same in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
4. In 2005, the second ARC recommended an institutionalized, transparent process for lateral entry at both the Central and state levels.

Is there a need for lateral entry into Civil Services?

1. The assurance of a secure career in civil services has discouraged initiative by reducing competition in the higher echelons of government. The entry at lateral level would keep the competition alive.
2. The quasi-monopolistic hold of the career civil services on senior management position breeds complacency, inhibits innovative thinking and prevents the inflow of new ideas from outside government. Lateral entry would help to bring in new ideas from those in private sector.
3. The Baswan Committee has pointed out the huge deficit of officers. Many other reports have shown deficiencies at higher levels in governments. It is important to bring in new people. Here lateral entry would be of help.
4. IAS officers get recruited at a very young age when it is difficult to test potential administrative and judgement capabilities. Mid-career lateral entrants with proven capabilities will help bridge this deficiency.
5. The career progression in the IAS is almost automatic. Notwithstanding sporadic efforts to introduce meritocracy, very few get weeded out for poor performance. Lateral entry is necessary to push the IAS out of their comfort zone and challenge them.

Counter-arguments over Lateral Entry into Civil Services

1. The All India Services provide a unique link between the cutting edge at the field level and top policy making positions as has also been mentioned by the First Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) and by the Sarkaria Commission. Bringing people from private sector is not welcomed.
2. The bridge between policy making and implementation, while crucial to all systems, has been of strategic significance in the Indian context, given the regional diversity of the country. Its important to maintain the uniqueness of Indian civil services.
3. The exposure and sensitivity to the country’s complex socio-political milieu and to the needs of the common man, which widespread field experience provides to these Services, may not be available in the private sector since the private sector does not have the same width and depth of exposure to this type of field experience.
4. Lateral entry only at top level policy making positions may have little impact on field level implementation, given the multiple links in the chain of command from the Union Government to a rural village.
5. There might be an issue of conflict of interest when it comes to entrants from the private sector.
6. The larger experience from such lateral entry has not been happy. Lateral entrants have struggled to fit into “the system” and understand the processes and dynamics of government decision-making. They have complained of hostility from the IAS network which, they believe, sets them up for failure.
7. “The system” of those already in service sees lateral entrants as adversaries who have made their way in, not through an open competitive examination like they have, but because of privilege and connections.
8. Once an in-house bureaucratic process is set in motion, it will become a precedent for all time and may be well be cited and manipulated by future governments at the Centre and the states to bring in people regardless of their worth.

Conclusion

1. Though an institutionalized lateral entry into civil service will help the government have the best of both youth and experience and take the system closer to the goal of “minimum government, maximum governance”, but a good system encourages and nurtures talent from within instead of seeking to induct leadership from outside.
2. The remedy to deficiencies in Indian civil services lies not through lateral induction but through more rigorous performance appraisal and improved personnel management.
3. Entrusting the job of selection to a body supervised by a speacialised agency like the Union Public Service Commission would be the only alternative to ensure that merit is the sole criteria and no scope exists for preferential induction on grounds of region, community or ideological allegiance.

Sources:

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/w9IUEN2qOv4OZxT8ofx4SK/The-need-for-lateral-entry-in-civil-services.html

http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/should-the-government-allow-lateral-entry-into-the-civil-services/story-Q75UKek5TPGwCrMreb9G0I.html

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-case-for-lateral-entry-indian-administrative-service-ias-upsc-government-4788115/

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/dopt-asked-to-prepare-proposal-on-lateral-entry-into-civil-services-department-of-personnel-training-4749693/

Questions

Q.1) The government’s recent proposal of bringing in lateral entry in civil services comes with its own advantages and criticisms. Discuss.

Q.2) Considering the recommendations made by various committees that there exists a large deficit of civil servants at higher levels, do you suggest the idea of bringing in new recruits at middle and higher level. Critically analyse in view of recent debate going on about lateral entry in civil services.