Since 2018 when scheme was launched, 63 appointments have been made at level of joint secretary, director & deputy secretary on contract/deputation basis in various govt departments.
At All India Federation for Social Justice conference, he also backed women's reservations & caste-census. Other speakers included Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren & ex-CM of UP Akhilesh Yadav.
Ten years into the Modi government, non-IAS officers form the clear majority at the level of joint secretaries, but a lack of domain expertise remains a concern.
While some lateral entrants feel a sense of achievement, number of officers recruited is considered too small to have an institutional impact. Now, its future hangs in balance.
In reports and editorials through the week, global media also put spotlight on Indian-born video games and analysed US' scrutiny of India's solar exports.
Impending strike at 12 government-run ports & heartwarming story of India’s armless archery prodigy Sheetal Devi also find place in foreign media reports.
The argument that the govt wanted to induct lateral entrants to inject ‘new ideas’ does not cut much ice. Perhaps it was trying to push multiple agendas, but this has backfired.
The silver lining is that the uproar over lateral entry scheme will lead to a refined policy. With social justice added, it may now be more acceptable.
We have failed terribly at two important things. One, we are reacting to this issue only emotionally, not logically. And two, we are not asking the right questions.
WhatsApp privacy policy case is among a string of matters involving practices like restrictive platform rules, pricing & billing policies, reflecting India’s tight scrutiny of market dominance.
Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.
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