A fiery debate over ‘lateral entry’ in UPSC

Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

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A fiery debate over ‘lateral entry’ in UPSC

The context: ‘Lateral entry’ is a bureaucratic term for the practice of hiring people from the private sector to perform high-ranking and -paying civil service jobs. The practice dates back to the 1950s—when PM Nehru created an “industrial management pool”—which shaped the careers of Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and others.

The rationale: for the practice is a shortage of qualified officers within the civil service. After independence, the government needed economists. Today, it is looking for talent in the fields of technology and environment—but the move has sparked a political firestorm.

What happened now: The government put out an ad for 45 positions across 24 ministries—including 10 joint secretary and 35 director/deputy secretary posts. The ad immediately sparked Opposition outrage. The reason: The formal ‘lateral entry’ policy established by the government back in 2018 is not subject to the usual job quotas kept aside for marginalised communities.

The government was accused of “short-circuiting” the reservation system—with Rahul Gandhi calling the policy an “attack on Dalits, OBCs and tribals.” He also accused it of trying to sneak in upper caste RSS loyalists in the guise of recruiting talent.

The bigger problem: The BJP’s two key allies—the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party—also opposed the move. And they pointed out that it was the equivalent of handing Gandhi a political laddu.

The great U-turn: As a result, the government has called on the UPSC authorities to withdraw the ad. The absence of reservation quotas in such ‘lateral’ hiring will also be “reviewed and reformed.”

Point to note: This is the latest sign that the BJP is adjusting to its new post-Lok Sabha election reality—and the demands of coalition dharma. It is also worried about the upcoming Assembly elections: “The BJP fears any further dent in its SC/ST and OBC vote bank, having nurtured it assiduously to shed the image of being a North Indian party of primarily ‘upper castes’.”

The big picture: There is a good case to be made for ‘lateral entry’—as Congress MP Shashi Tharoor notes:

My position on lateral entry is that it is an indispensable method for the government to acquire expertise which it otherwise lacks, in specific areas of specialisation for which there are no qualified persons already in government service. In the short term, it remains unavoidable.

But it is also necessary to reskill or upskill civil service officials so they can perform these roles in the long term. The bigger picture: The entrenched conflict that pits social justice against merit has to be tackled with nuance—and compassion. Scoring political brownie points on either side does little to help the nation or its citizens.

Reading list: Indian Express and The Hindu have good overviews of the political stakes. The Print looks back at the objections raised in 2019 when the government introduced the expansion—while Times of India looks at the history of ‘lateral entry’. Indian Express also has a 10-point explainer on the original 2018 recruitment drive.

Dhamaka moments at the Democratic National Convention

It was the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC)—where Kamala Harris will be formally anointed as the party’s presidential candidate. These events are primarily the political equivalent of prom parties—where it’s all about ‘being seen’—and heard. Reminder: Barack Obama’s road to the White House started with a blockbuster speech at the 2004 convention.

One: President Biden staged a comeback with an ‘angry old man’ speech—where he called out Donald—a ‘tu kaun hai be’ moment. He has since been rebranded as the grand old man of the Democratic party. New Yorker has that story.

Two: Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance—ahead of her victory lap slated for Thursday—wearing a tan suit! The colour is meant as a cheeky reference to Obama’s tan suit—worn at a presidential press conference on the Middle East. Horrified Republicans called it “unpresidential.” She just can’t stop trolling them. Also: Who wore it better? We’re gonna give this one to the big O.

Three: The hands-down most authentic moment of the day: A woman named Hadley Duvall—who told the story of being raped by her father at the age of twelve. Most powerful line: “Trump calls abortion bans across the country a beautiful thing. What’s so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”

Four: Protesters managed to get a banner inside the hall—which was quite an achievement. DNC security apparently treats any pro-Palestine flags or signs like they’re unexploded bombs:

Five: People went nuts over the appearance of Tony Goldwyn—aka President Fitzgerald Grant on the spicy series ‘Scandal’. A white prez with a not-so-secret Black lover? Feels more cringe than cool. Below is a clip of his remarks:

Six: Eight years after losing to Trump, Hillary Clinton basked in the petty revenge of addressing a crowd yelling ‘Lock Him Up’ (backstory here):

Boeing’s new ‘believe it or not’ problem

The context: The company’s safety issues have been unceasing—and astonishing since 2018. They date back to the grounding of its 737 Max planes after two catastrophic crashes in 2018 and 2019 left 346 dead. The issues with 737 Max resurfaced again in January this year when a panel blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight (explained in this Big Story). Ever since, there’s been news of failed aviation audits and damning testimony from whistleblowers.

What happened now: The company admitted its next generation of planes have a teeny problem:

[Boeing] paused test flights of its 777X fleet, its new flagship aircraft, after a routine inspection uncovered damage to a part that connects the engine to the plane’s body, the company said Monday. Several planes in the fleet showed similar cracks in the structure.

Of course, some of this bad news is a result of greater diligence—and transparency on Boeing’s part. But none of it inspires confidence. The 777X is slated to roll out in 2025. Half of them have been bought by Emirates—which is always good to know. (Quartz)

The RG Kar case: A horrific ‘search’ pattern

People are looking for videos and images of the rape/murder across the internet. According to Google Trends, the number of search queries increased from August 16—a week after the crime took place—and reached its peak this week. It jumped by 190% yesterday. The pattern is the same on YouTube and—wait for it—porn sites! Another appalling trend: Looking for her caste identity. Reminder: Prime suspect Sanjay Roy allegedly has a “disturbing and violent” porn addiction. Also: This happens frequently in sexual assault cases that make headlines—including the rape/murder of an eight-year-old in Kathua in 2018. (The Quint, paywall, Business Insider)

In somewhat related news: The Supreme Court has set aside a Calcutta High Court ruling—which directed teenage girls to “control sexual urges” and not succumb to “two minutes of pleasure.” The case involved a boy arrested for a consensual relationship between two minors. Unhappy with this inappropriate moralising, the Supreme Court took up the case in 2023—and has now restored the boy’s conviction. The justices asked an expert committee to determine his sentence. Why this is related to RG Kar: It shows how healthy female desire is criminalised—even as sexual violence is normalised as ‘just porn’. (Bar and Bench)

Startup apocalypse in the US

The number of failed startups has jumped by 60% over the past year. The number is 7X higher than 2019. The immediate reason: Founders who raised money in the funding boom of 2021-22 are now going broke. The underlying reason:

In the boom years, VCs would encourage founders to take larger and larger investments, inflating valuations… It was a “crazy fundraising environment” in which “VC and founder incentives did not always align”, he said.

But now, VCs seem to be messing with founders in the exact opposite way: “The advice shifted . . . VCs [were] telling you to grow at all costs, then to be profitable tomorrow. If you’ve curtailed your growth with cuts then it’s maybe not a VC business.” Financial Times (splainer gift link) has more.

Surprising news about ‘covert awareness’

According to conventional wisdom, a person who goes into a coma due to brain injury has lost consciousness. Their bodies are unresponsive and so are their minds. But news research shows that 25% of such patients are able to perform “complex cognitive tasks, such as imagining themselves playing tennis.” This is called “covert awareness”—where the patient has the same pattern of brain activity as a healthy person—”suggesting that they were able to think and were at least somewhat aware.”

Why this matters: This suggests that people in their vegetative state are still “in there” somewhere and should be treated like a fully responsive patient. But, but, but: these responses are still no guarantee that the patient will return to normal life—which is heart-breaking. The sliver of hope: The next generation of brain implants could help them communicate with the world. (New York Times, paywalled, NBC News).

Climate change by any other name…

Is still climate change. A new study has found that ‘rebranding’ the looming collapse of the planet makes no difference to how people respond to it. Instead, changing its name has backfired in the US:

If anything, “climate crisis,” “climate emergency,” and “climate justice” generate less worry than the phrases they were supposed to replace… [A]round 70% of US residents said they were concerned about “climate change” and “global warming,” compared to 65% for the “crisis” and “emergency” framing, and 48% for the “justice” framing.

A possible reason: People are not familiar with the more alarmist terms—and so don’t respond to them. The Conversation has more on the history of naming climate change. (Grist)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Morning Brew looks at the increasing popularity of companies taking a strong stance against the use of AI—the most recent being Medium and Procreate.
Zoom announced a new single-user webinar feature that has a capacity of 1 million attendees.
In an interview, Donald Trump said that if elected, he would end a $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases and may hire Elon Musk in a cabinet or advisory role.
Beyonce and Moët Hennessy have teamed up to create a new whisky brand called SirDavis.

sports & entertainment

The venue of the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup has been shifted from Bangladesh to the UAE—due to the recent chaos and violence.
In other cricket news, India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Gujarat Police conducted raids to clamp down on “illegal” broadcasts of the Men’s T20 World Cup matches for betting purposes.
Kylian Mbappe is taking legal action against his former club Paris Saint-Germain—for unpaid dues worth over $61 million.
Men’s tennis world no. 1 Jannik Sinner has been cleared of any wrongdoing over two anti-doping tests he had failed in March this year.
Indian Express (login required) has a good read on the Premier League’s youngest ever manager—Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler—who got off to a winning start this past weekend.
Actor Michael Madsen—known for ‘Reservoir Dogs’—has been arrested for domestic violence.

as for the rest

A new study once again confirms that sex is hazardous for your health. It found that the orb-weaving spider lures male fireflies by flashing signal patterns that mimic females.
Eli Lilly's weight loss drug reduces the risk of diabetes in overweight adults by 94%.
That endless scrolling through vids on Reels and YouTube because you’re bored—is likely to make you more bored.
A Japanese study shows that playing video games for less than three hours a day could be good for your mental health.
The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been retrieved from Gaza during an overnight military operation. But, but, but: at least five of the six hostages were killed as a direct result of an IDF attack.
A BBC News investigation has accused a Scottish fishing company of “modern slavery”.
Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) looks at the unexpected problem for Brazil’s nude beaches: not enough nudists.
Vox has a good read on the question: Does being a “gifted” kid make for a burned-out adulthood?

Four things to see

One: Samoa’s wicketkeeper Darius Visser just beat Yuvraj Singh’s long-held record of the most runs scored in an over. In a T20 World Cup qualifier match against Vanuatu, he scored 39 runs—beating the previous high of 36. Point to note: Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, and Dipendra Singh Airee—have equalled Yuvi’s achievement—but Visser is the first to beat it. The secret of his success: three no-balls—i.e unforced bowler error—which kinda makes it less impressive. (NDTV Sports)

Two: Speaking of cricket, also worth a watch: Robin Uthappa discussing his struggle with depression and suicide—in the wake of the recent deaths of Graham Thorpe and David Johnson. You can watch a snippet below, and watch the full video here. (Hindustan Times)

Three: Manu Bhaker’s got the grooves. Watch India’s fave Olympian shake a leg at a school event below. (Economic Times)

Four: Check out the rare blue Supermoon that graced the night sky on Monday. Our favourite is this beauty taken by photographer Barry Butler—at Chicago's Aon Center. CBS News has more stunning shots from around the world.