No proposal to allow lateral entry into civil services: Government

NEW DELHI: There is no proposal at present before the Centre to study the feasibility of lateral entry into the civil services as such issues require political consensus, government said in Lok Sabha today.

Responding to supplementaries from Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said at present, there is no proposal to constitute a committee to study the feasibility of lateral entry into the civil services.

He was asked whether a committee will be set up to study the feasibility of lateral entries into civil services that will include successful entrepreneurs, academicians and social workers.

Singh said there was no proposal to make temporary postings in multi-national agencies, non-profit and other private organisations, mandatory.

Such issues require a political consensus, he said.

Singh also said that his written reply nowhere said the government is satisfied with 76th position given to the Indian bureaucracy by a survey on Asian economies.

He said the survey was not officially conducted and based on a limited sample of 600 and added that there has been a "progressive improvement" in India's statistical ranking.

The minister said the qualifying age for IAS has been increased from time to time and, in cases, due to political considerations. It now stood at 47 years whereas the age at which one is eligible for retirement is 50 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom the Ministry of Personnel falls, was present in the House.