<p>Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (Aug 20) wrote a letter to the head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), asking the civil service body to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Singh said the decision had been taken on the insistence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UPSC has&nbsp;been directed to withdraw the advertisement that attempted to fill 45 positions at the joint secretary, deputy secretary and director levels in the central government.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open," the letter read.</p>

<p>"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 enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation."</p>

<p>The government argued that it did not want to take the same route as its predecessors when lateral entry positions were filled willy-nilly without any provision for reservation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"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. Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.08.2024," stated the letter.</p>

<p>The U-turn comes in the backdrop of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the recruitment scheme was an attack on "Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis".&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.<br />
<br />
BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans.</p>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1825407202644897798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;India: 3 UPSC aspirants dead as coaching centre’s basement gets flooded in Delhi</strong></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-3-upsc-aspirants-dead-as-coaching-centres-basement-gets-flooded-in-delhi-744853/embed" width="560"></iframe></p>

<h2><strong>What is lateral entry?</strong></h2>

<p>Lateral entry refers to recruitment in the Indian bureaucracy from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The lateral recruitment process for joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries in the Central government was first introduced in 2018.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-opposition-parties-denounce-upsc-lateral-entry-drive-as-scam-cruel-joke-751064"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Indian opposition parties denounce UPSC lateral entry drive as 'scam, cruel joke'</strong></a></p>

<p>According to a Lok Sabha reply dated July 24, 2024, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry so far, with 35 candidates coming from the private sector. Currently, 57 of these employees remain in their respective ministries and departments.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (Aug 20) wrote a letter to the head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), asking the civil service body to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (Aug 20) wrote a letter to the head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), asking the civil service body to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry. Singh said the decision had been taken on the insistence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UPSC has been directed to withdraw the advertisement that attempted to fill 45 positions at the joint secretary, deputy secretary and director levels in the central government. "While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open," the letter read. "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 enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation." The government argued that it did not want to take the same route as its predecessors when lateral entry positions were filled willy-nilly without any provision for reservation. "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. Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.08.2024," stated the letter. The U-turn comes in the backdrop of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the recruitment scheme was an attack on "Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis". Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 19, 2024 × Also watch | India: 3 UPSC aspirants dead as coaching centre’s basement gets flooded in Delhi What is lateral entry? Lateral entry refers to recruitment in the Indian bureaucracy from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments. The lateral recruitment process for joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries in the Central government was first introduced in 2018. Also read | Indian opposition parties denounce UPSC lateral entry drive as 'scam, cruel joke' According to a Lok Sabha reply dated July 24, 2024, 63 appointments have been made through lateral entry so far, with 35 candidates coming from the private sector. Currently, 57 of these employees remain in their respective ministries and departments. (With inputs from agencies)

Indian government's U-turn on lateral entry: Asks UPSC to cancel advertisement

<p>UPSC chairman Manoj Soni has resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029, official sources said on Saturday.</p>

<p>His resignation is "not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore," they said.</p>

<p>"The UPSC chairman had tendered his resignation citing personal reasons over a fortnight back. It is yet to be accepted," a source said.</p>

<p>Eminent educationist Mr Soni, 59, took over as a member of the Commission on June 28, 2017. He took oath as the UPSC chairman on May 16, 2023 and his term was to end on May 15, 2029.</p>

<p>Sources said Mr Soni was not keen on becoming the UPSC chairman and had requested to be relieved. However, his request was not accepted then, the sources said.</p>

<p>They said Mr Soni has now desired to devote more time to "socio-religious activities."</p>

<p>The development assumes significance as the UPSC on Friday said it has lodged a criminal case against Ms Khedkar for faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts in the civil services examination beyond eligibility, and taken steps to debar her from future selections.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;New discrepancies uncovered in IAS Khedkar's official record, additional irregularities surface</strong></p>

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<p>Since Ms Khedkar's case of misusing power and privileges came to the fore, social media has been abuzz with claims and counter-claims on the use of fake certificates by serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, among others.</p>

<p>Social media users have shared names, pictures, and other details of a few IAS and IPS officers, claiming they used bogus certificates to claim benefits available for those belonging to Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).</p>

<p>Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, Mr Soni had served three terms as Vice-Chancellor.</p>

<p>These include two consecutive terms from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2015 as VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Gujarat; and one term as VC of The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda from April 2005 to April 2008.</p>

<p>At the time of joining the MSU, Mr Soni was the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor in India.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-is-pune-ias-officer-pooja-khedkar-ias-trainee-who-made-vip-demands-739564">Who is Pooja Khedkar? IAS trainee who made VIP demands, transferred</a></strong></p>

<p>A scholar of political science with specialisation in international relations, Mr Soni taught international relations at Sardar Patel University (SPU), Vallabh Vidyanagar between 1991 and 2016, except for the period when he served as Vice-Chancellor of the two universities.</p>

<p>Mr Soni has earned a number of recognitions and awards and has significant number of publications to his credit.</p>

<p>The UPSC is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of ten members. At present, there are seven members in the UPSC, three less than its sanctioned strength.</p>

<p><em>This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.</em></p>


UPSC chairman Manoj Soni has resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029, official sources said on Saturday. His resignation is "not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore," they said.

UPSC chairman Manoj Soni has resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029, official sources said on Saturday. His resignation is "not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore," they said. "The UPSC chairman had tendered his resignation citing personal reasons over a fortnight back. It is yet to be accepted," a source said. Eminent educationist Mr Soni, 59, took over as a member of the Commission on June 28, 2017. He took oath as the UPSC chairman on May 16, 2023 and his term was to end on May 15, 2029. Sources said Mr Soni was not keen on becoming the UPSC chairman and had requested to be relieved. However, his request was not accepted then, the sources said. They said Mr Soni has now desired to devote more time to "socio-religious activities." The development assumes significance as the UPSC on Friday said it has lodged a criminal case against Ms Khedkar for faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts in the civil services examination beyond eligibility, and taken steps to debar her from future selections. Also watch | New discrepancies uncovered in IAS Khedkar's official record, additional irregularities surface × Since Ms Khedkar's case of misusing power and privileges came to the fore, social media has been abuzz with claims and counter-claims on the use of fake certificates by serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, among others. Social media users have shared names, pictures, and other details of a few IAS and IPS officers, claiming they used bogus certificates to claim benefits available for those belonging to Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, Mr Soni had served three terms as Vice-Chancellor. These include two consecutive terms from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2015 as VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Gujarat; and one term as VC of The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda from April 2005 to April 2008. At the time of joining the MSU, Mr Soni was the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor in India. Also read | Who is Pooja Khedkar? IAS trainee who made VIP demands, transferred A scholar of political science with specialisation in international relations, Mr Soni taught international relations at Sardar Patel University (SPU), Vallabh Vidyanagar between 1991 and 2016, except for the period when he served as Vice-Chancellor of the two universities. Mr Soni has earned a number of recognitions and awards and has significant number of publications to his credit. The UPSC is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of ten members. At present, there are seven members in the UPSC, three less than its sanctioned strength. This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

UPSC Chairperson Manoj Soni resigns amid Puja Khedkar controversy

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Indian government's U-turn on lateral entry: Asks UPSC to cancel advertisement

UPSC Chairperson Manoj Soni resigns amid Puja Khedkar controversy