Need for lateral entry

♤ Shortage of Officers: There is shortage of officers in large states like UP, MP, Rajasthan and Bihar. These are also those states were the social development as well as economic growth numbers are dismal.

♤ Specialists and experts: Career bureaucrats, due to their frequent transfers and deputations, remain generalists in nature. Also there is little incentives within the bureaucracy to join advanced courses and gain cutting edge knowledge. Thus in the wake of changing geo-political and economic environment, experts are needed for certain positions.

♤ Burden to Exchequer: Recruitment through formal process comes with economic baggage of lifetime of salary, pensions and other perks. Constitutional safeguards prevent removal of even non-preforming officers. This anomaly could be resolved through lateral entry.

♤ Incentives to innovations: It is believed that bringing professionals from private sector would bring fresh ideas and usher innovative problem solving methods to otherwise a monolithic institution.

♤ Competition: It will push career bureaucrats towards healthy competition to perform

better. Also it will act as a warning sign of ‘perform or perish’.