 "Bimal Jalan to Raghuram Rajan: 10 key lateral entries in govt before 2014 | India News")
Raghuram Rajan (Photo: Bloomberg)
The Centre on Tuesday requested Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Preeti Sudan to retract the recent advertisement for lateral hiring of officials.
In a letter, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh emphasised that while the Congress-led government initially supported lateral hiring, Prime Minister Narendra Modi insists the process must align with the principles of equity and social justice as enshrined in the Constitution.
Singh claimed that during previous Congress governments, key positions like ministry secretaries and leadership roles in UIDAI were given to lateral entrants without following proper procedures.
Responding to this latest decision, the Congress asserted that the Centre’s decision to retract the recent advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy was prompted by criticism from Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as others in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
A look at 10 key lateral appointments before 2014
1. Dr Manmohan Singh: Before becoming the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was introduced into the government in 1971 as an economic advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through a lateral entry. His significant contribution came as the Finance Minister in 1991, where he was instrumental in the economic liberalisation of India.
2. Kaushik Basu: Kaushik Basu was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor to the Indian government in 2009. Before this, he had a distinguished academic career and went on to become the Chief Economist at the World Bank after his tenure.
3. Sam Pitroda: A technocrat and entrepreneur, Sam Pitroda was inducted into the Indian government during the 1980s under Rajiv Gandhi’s administration. He played a pivotal role in India’s telecom revolution and held positions such as Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission and advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.
4. Arvind Virmani: An economist with experience in academia and international economic institutions, Arvind Virmani was brought into government service, where he served as Chief Economic Advisor from 2007 to 2009.
5. V Krishnamurthy: V Krishnamurthy held influential roles such as Chairman of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and later, Maruti Udyog. He also chaired the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, reflecting his pivotal role in government.
6. Bimal Jalan: With experience in global institutions like the IMF and World Bank, Bimal Jalan entered the Indian government as Chief Economic Advisor and later ascended to the role of Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from 1997 to 2003.
7. Raghuram Rajan: A prominent economist who previously held the position of Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Raghuram Rajan was appointed as Chief Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance in 2012. He later became the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from 2013 to 2016.
8. NK Singh: NK Singh, who began his career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), later transitioned into advisory roles in finance and public policy after his civil service career, serving as Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and a member of the Planning Commission.
9. Nandan Nilekani: Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani was appointed as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2009, where he led the Aadhaar project.
10. Montek Singh Ahluwalia: Montek Singh Ahluwalia served as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from 2004 to 2014.
First Published: Aug 20 2024 | 4:22 PM IST
