Up live news 24 uttar pradesh
Lucknow: Sarojini Nagar MLA Dr. Rajeshwar Singh launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party’s opposition to lateral entry, saying its sudden concern for “merit” and “process” rings hollow. He said the SP’s standards appear to change with political convenience—when appointments suit its network, questions over merit disappear, but when domain expertise is brought into governance, it is portrayed as an attack on democracy.
Dr. Singh said the people of Uttar Pradesh have not forgotten the SP government’s appointment of Anil Yadav as UPPSC Chairman, despite reports of 17 criminal cases against him, including dacoity. Allegations of bias in PCS interviews during his tenure eventually reached the Supreme Court. “A party with such a record should not lecture the country on merit and process,” he said.
He added that the SP itself has often criticised bureaucracy as rigid, slow and unresponsive. “If fresh expertise is needed to make governance more responsive, why oppose bringing in professionals with specialised knowledge?”
Five key arguments in favour of lateral entry:
1. World practice is well established — The UK recruits senior specialists into policy roles; the US brings in thousands of external appointees with every administration change; Singapore’s technocratic efficiency relies partly on private-sector talent in government; New Zealand openly contests senior posts to outside candidates.
2. Specialized expertise fills real gaps — A generalist exam can’t produce deep expertise in fintech, climate policy, semiconductors, or cybersecurity. Lateral entry brings in professionals who already have it.
3. Speed matters — Policy challenges evolve faster than bureaucratic promotion cycles. Lateral entry delivers expertise in months, not decades.
4. India’s own history validates it — Dr. Manmohan Singh (1971) and Shri Sam Pitroda (1980s) both entered public service outside UPSC and went on to shape the nation. This is already part of India’s institutional history.
5. It supplements, not replaces, the exam system — It targets specific senior technical posts, not a bypass of UPSC. Both can coexist, with safeguards for transparency and reservation.
Dr. Rajeshwar Singh said the real question is not whether lateral entry should exist, but whether India can afford to rely on only one route for expertise as governance challenges become more specialised and complex.
“In Uttar Pradesh too, we have advocated bringing domain experts into institutions such as the AI Commission, State Transformation Commission and Youth Council. We have also suggested to Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji that Technical Departments should be headed by Secretaries with genuine expertise in their respective fields, so specialised knowledge directly strengthens policy and governance.”
Dr. Singh concluded, “Political opposition is understandable, but selective outrage and double standards are not. Lateral entry should be strengthened with transparency, safeguards and accountability—not rejected in the name of political convenience.”