On August 17, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) advertised lateral recruitment for 45 posts at the ranks of joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary in different ministries and departments. The move led to an outrage as quota benefits are not applied for such “single post” recruitments.
Also read: Why is lateral entry policy under scrutiny?
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, termed the recruitment an “anti-national step” as it was “openly snatching away” the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs. Following the backlash, on August 20, Union Personnel Minister Jitendra Singh wrote to the UPSC Chairperson to cancel the advertisement. Hours later, the UPSC cancelled the advertisement.
