NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Finance has emerged as the top user of lateral entry in the Central government over the past five years, with three ministries accounting for the highest number of such appointments, led by the finance ministry, which inducted 10 officials across its departments.
Of these, five were recruited at the level of Joint Secretary and Director in the Department of Financial Services, four in the Department of Economic Affairs, and one in the Department of Revenue.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that a total of 63 appointments have been made since 2018 at the levels of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary on a contract and deputation basis across various ministries and departments through the lateral entry route.
Under the lateral entry framework, appointments are made for specific assignments, taking into account candidates’ specialised knowledge and domain expertise. The objective is to bring in professionals with substantial experience from the private sector, academia, public policy institutions and public sector undertakings to strengthen governance and policy implementation.
According to official data, the Ministry of Finance appointed five officials, including two at the Director level, in the Department of Financial Services. In addition, five other appointments were made at the levels of Joint Secretary and Director in the Departments of Economic Affairs and Revenue. Following the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation made six lateral appointments since 2018, including two at the Director rank and the remainder at the Deputy Secretary level.
The Ministry of Commerce recorded the third-highest number of appointments, with five lateral entries since 2018. These included two at the level of Joint Secretary and two in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare made four lateral appointments, as did the Department of School Education and Literacy. The Ministry of Heavy Industries appointed three officials through the lateral entry route.
In total, the Modi government has made 63 lateral appointments across 23 departments of various ministries over the past five years, without abolishing any existing posts.
Lateral entry into higher civil services was introduced to address skill gaps in specialised sectors such as finance, infrastructure, the digital economy, trade and agriculture. Traditionally, senior bureaucratic posts were filled by civil servants directly recruited through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). However, the lateral entry system allows experienced professionals from outside the traditional civil services framework to occupy key policy-making positions for fixed tenures. The government maintains that this approach promotes innovation, enhances administrative capacity and improves policy outcomes by infusing fresh perspectives into the bureaucracy.