preparing for the appointment of big bureaucrats from lateral entry
- Summary
Government will advertise for the appointments of Lateral Entry. The senior official said that the proposal may be sent to the Chief Minister’s Office for the final approval of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
- Expansion
The Mamata Banerjee government of West Bengal is contemplating to follow the footsteps of the central government by opting for lateral entry in senior positions like special secretary and joint secretary in the bureaucracy. Under lateral entry, private sector personnel are selected for the administrative post of the government, this selection is different from the bureaucratic recruitment process.
These officers posted in various departments can be seen as consultants under the Lateral Entry Recruitment Scheme, an official said. The details of his exact work and responsibilities are yet to be determined.
An IAS officer said that all these appointments will be contractual only for a specific period. Their eligibility criteria would be at par with that of an IAS officer. As per the scheme, the minimum eligibility for these lateral entry would be 15 years of relevant experience. The responsibility of their salary and allowances will be with the Home Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department of the state.
Another highly placed source said on condition of anonymity that the government would advertise for lateral entry appointments. The senior official said that the proposal may be sent to the Chief Minister’s Office for the final approval of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
However, Home Secretary BP Gopalika refused to confirm it. The Central Government had said in 2018 that the Lateral Entry Scheme would serve the twin objective of bringing in field expertise to the civil services and addressing the problem of shortage of IAS officers.
