Lateral entry into civil services in India : an analysis from a policy perspective

Abstract

Bureaucracy as an idea is well-rooted in human history. Although bureaucracy as a concept is quite ubiquitous, its nature and organisation have varied across history and geography. The precise role of bureaucracy in each given country is determined by its history, social norms, constitutional requirements, and current political economy.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the very fabric of life as we know it. The rapidity with which the pandemic engulfed nations, exposed the preparedness, or lack thereof, of governments to reduce and contain its drastic impact. It is this extraordinary situation that has brought to the fore, the many shortfalls of the Indian bureaucracy amidst ever changing circumstances. It is in this context that the need for equipping the bureaucratic framework with skills to adapt and cater to these nuances was felt. In India, scholars argue that institutionalization of lateral entry into civil services is the administrative innovation that is needed and can be the solution that will help cater to these nuances and drive the development narrative in the country, amidst changing circumstances.

It is in this context that the government in 2018, decided to undertake lateral recruitment of joint secretaries to fulfil the twin purpose of bringing in domain expertise to the civil services and addressing the problem of shortage of IAS officers at the Centre. Four years after formulating the lateral recruitment scheme to address a shortage of IAS officers, the government managed to appoint 38 officers through lateral entry. Therefore, there is a thrust towards lateral entry but this is not regularized or concretized as a scheme, unlike the UPSC Civil Services Exam that is conducted annually.

This study is an attempt to examine the experiment of lateral entry attempted recently in India. It seeks to understand the interlinked nuances of different aspects such as the background to the experiment, salient features of the experiment, evaluation of the experiment and challenges associated with the experiment. The study first explores the various socio-economic, political and administrative undercurrents that led to the conception and implementation of the mode of lateral entry attempted in India. Secondly, it explores the salient features of the lateral entry scheme attempted in India. Thirdly, it tries to evaluate if lateral entry has delivered as was expected, i.e., compare if lateral entry has met the objectives as was conceived at the time. Fourthly, it explores the challenges that will have to be addressed if this mode of recruitment was institutionalized. Lastly, the study summarises the findings of the research to provide pointers for drafting a policy towards institutionalizing lateral entry for smoother induction and better governance.