1/ Some thoughts on this Lateral Entry move based on ongoing research on administrative reform in India with @K_Rahul_Sharma and @SonakshiShar96. https://twitter.com/nsitharaman/status/1357720332983914500

2/ This is a good way to bring in sectoral expertise and fresh thinking into higher administration, but the complexities of this move must be understood against the history of reform and reform thinking.

3/ Key tension in Lateral Entry (LE) is that entrants bring in expertise, but how ready is our bureaucracy to accept non-career bureaucrats in senior roles? We need to then think about what we can do systemically to improve the ability of system to accept external experts.

4/ What level should lateral entrants be hired to: The Second ARC (2008) concluded that external expertise was best inducted at Addl Secretary level or above, since these involve more leadership than operational responsibility.

5/ By recruiting extensively at the JS and Director levels, the govt has made a clear decision to position lateral entrants at middle and less senior levels with coordinating/operational roles that might require a greater understanding of govt mechanism and working.

6/ LE needs an institutionalised process: Previous attempts have been criticised for not having a credible and transparent process headed by an independent body. This particular advertisement addresses some of these concerns with detailed description of eligibility and process.

7/ Reform commissions have suggested that an independent body (like the UPSC) be in charge of identifying which positions are most suitable for LE. This does not appear to be the case with the current advertisement.

8/ There need to be post-induction plans: For LE to be credible, there must be rigorous systems to support, evaluate and improve their performance. Moreover, the system needs measures to account for conflict of interest, since recruits go back to pvt sector jobs in same sector

9/ Sum up: The lack of a structured, transparent and institutionalized process creates challenges for both civil servants and lateral entrants. We find that the effectiveness of Lateral Entry (LE) hinges on systems and safeguards built into the process.

10/ Ad hoc LE often leads to resistance to lateral entrants from serving civil servants and inevitable frustration for the recruits themselves due to the lack of support. https://theprint.in/india/governance/arun-goel-lateral-entrant-joint-secretary-in-commerce-ministry-resigns-after-a-year/567822/